Cidney Swanson's Blog, page 9

UNFURL: The Great Giveaway

Bringing out the third in a trilogy is very, very, (very) exciting for me! And that means I need to spread the excitement. Share the love. Give stuff away. Would you like an ARC of Unfurl and a signed bookmark (swag from Chameleon/Rippler events)? You're in luck! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below (you may need to press "read more" to make it show up.) Then sit back and wait to see if you're one of three lucky winners!

This giveaway is in addition to the Unfurl Official Blog Tour Stops where I'll be giving away complete kindle versions of The Ripple Trilogy every day from January 10-February 14. (You'll want to check back for a special Valentine's Day giveaway!) Hope you're feeling the love! 

Year In Review

For those of you who are writers, or considering writing, I cordially present: my year in scribbling. For the rest of you, this will probably be deadly dull, and I advise finding a more interesting website, post haste.

January
Fresh back from a fab Big Sur Workshop with ABLit. Inspired. Instructed. I eradicate thousands of words from WIP thanks to great advice from Jenn Rofe and Mary Kole. I am introduced to several of my bad author-ly habits, and I send them packing. Yay! I realize I don't know where my WIP should begin. *Is annoyed* I join kindleboards and lurk watch the Writer's Cafe with interest.

February
WIP is looking thin and fit thanks to December/January weight loss program. I still fear I haven't found the correct beginning for my story, but I go with one I think might work. Now a polished manuscript (ms), it circulates amongst a handful of agents. I remove the completed first draft of what will become Chameleon from the deep freeze and begin applying the weight loss regime to it as well. Meanwhile, I write bits of what will become Unfurl and lots of what won't become a part of anything. I acquire several very polite rejections of my full ms, with requests to submit something else if I have it.

March
I participate in the conversations on kindleboards after lurking for over a month and begin to consider indie-publishing. More polite and encouraging rejections, more requests for something else if I have it. Barry Eisler walks away from SMP deal, Amanda Hocking signs with SMP. I am realizing my ms doesn't begin at the right place. Completely befuddled as to how to begin it. I set it aside to age.

April
I write a sci-fi novel (first draft) and set it aside to age. I hear back from the last agent and last editor who had expressed interest in my ms. (Another appetizing serving of "no, thank you.") I decide to indie-publish my ms, since it is nearly done--if I could just find that slippery, that elusive . . . beginning. I feel pretty certain there is a market for this story, even if that market isn't the traditional one. I work with the amazing Claudia at phatpuppyart.com to get a cover for my novel, Ripple.

May
I buff Ripple 'til it glistens. The novel gets a last minute name change when PW Daily announces a July release of a YA paranormal romance with my title. What??? (My preciousssssss . . . ) Ripple becomes Rippler, going from a nice noun-verb double-entendre to a merely descriptive noun. Le sigh. I get stellar advice from a best-selling YA author who tells me two possible places she would begin my novel if she were writing it. One of them rings one-hundred per-cent true to me. I write it down in a frenzy. I delete 15,000 words from my lame beginning. I have a book I am proud of! I publish it on Amazon days before my birthday.

June
I sell a few books! I get several reviews! From people I've never met! It's amazing! I worry that having four 5-star reviews will make it look like I asked friends to review my book. (Something I asked them to please not do.) Then I get a 2-star review and a 4-star review. I feel legitimized. I write, write, write the second-in-series.

July
I write, write, write number two clear to the end and set it aside to age. I go back to the sci-fi novel and polish it. I check my sales far more often than is strictly rational. The numbers creep forward slowly, and more reviews start coming in. Every time a 5-star comes in, it is followed by a 4-star. Every time. *Is amused*

August
I polish the second-in-series, realizing it will be better than its older sibling! The story arc progresses more naturally, and it reads a bit like a thriller. *Is thrilled*

September
I put Chameleon, the second-in-series for sale days before I embark upon a cruise across the Atlantic celebrating a big anniversary with my BFF/DH. We talk about book three, but I Do. No. Writing. For. Two. Weeks. Chameleon sells moderately well, and sales are up for Rippler as well. I outline book three once we reach home.

October
I write like a woman possessed.  2,500-3,500 words per day. I'm determined to get book three out by Christmas. A women's book group hosts me; they discuss my book and ask me questions. It is more fun than riding Pirates of the Caribbean.

November
Still possessed. A polished draft is completed. Beginning of work with editor who tells me what scenes go where. (Several were completely backwards! Imagine that!) I have an author event at Vanilla Jill's in Eugene, Oregon. I sign books, do readings, and answer questions. It is more fun than Toy Story Mania!

December
Edits, edits, edits. Followed by copy-edits, copy-edits, copy-edits. Trailed by beta-reader responses. Chased by publication around 11:00PM on the 25th. I met my goal! Plus, 2400 downloads of Rippler when I set it free as a Christmas thank you. Wow. That's a lot of downloads. I sell hundreds over the following days, doubling my sales of the first seven months. All those new Kindles require feeding, apparently.

There you have it, my pets! Anyone still awake?

Merry Christmas to You

Wishing you a very, very happy season of holidays, whichever you celebrate. For my fam, it's Christmas, although you might hear the occasional Hanukkah greeting, depending on who is around and how closely the two holidays fall any given year.

I wanted to send a little something out to say thanks for following me this year, so today, December 25, you can download a copy of Rippler from Amazon absolutely gratis! Er, free. Sir Walter's been hanging out in my head again. (Yes, he also knows and can speak in Latin.) The special will end sometime around midnight Pacific Time, so head over while the getting is good!

With wishes for "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to mankind,"
Cidney

Fisher Amelie

It's my pleasure to bring the lovely Fisher Amelie on deck today, as part of her Bad Aces Blog Tour for her new title, CALLUM AND HARPER. 
Author Bio: Fisher Amelie resides in the South with her kick ace husband slash soul mate. She earned her first 'mama' patch in 2009. She also lives with her Wiem, 'Jonah,' and her Beta, 'Whale.' All these living creatures keep the belly of her life full, sometimes to the point of gluttony, but she doesn't mind all that much because life isn't worth living if it isn't entertaining, right?
Fisher grew up writing. She secretly hid notebooks and notebooks of dribble in a large Tupperware storage container in her closet as a kid. She didn't put two and two together until after college when it suddenly dawned on her:"Hey, I like writing." She's a bit dense."No, I'm not.""Yes, you are. Put down that Oreo, your butt can't take anymore.""You're rude.""Yeah, yeah."Anyway, she likes to write and has finally beaten her self-esteem into submission enough to allow herself to be scrutinized under the 'other readers' microscope. "No! No! Not a cover slip! Las time it gave me a ra . . ." (mumbling)
I asked Fisher a few questions so that you could get to know how she likes her chocolate and other things I wanted to know myself. 
1) What are five books you're grateful for? Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Le Morte' D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1984 by George Orwell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
2) Briefly, how do spend an average day? I wake around seven thirty, before my son, thank goodness. I do a few copywriting tasks (day job). Son wakes. Son demands food. I comply. Son watches some 'educational' type show on PBS only because I just can't seem to be okay with Yo Gabba Gabba (weirds me out). Write a few blogs for my clients. Write a few social updates for Fisher Amelie Fan Page/Twitter. Play with son, i.e. reading, watching a film, playing outside. Make lunch. Feed lunch to kid. By this time, son should have needed a bath for one of the variety of reasons he inevitably needs a bath. Bath. Nap. Back to day job, return a few e-mails. He wakes! We play some more. We clean up our messes. I start dinner. Daddy emerges from office. Son and daddy play. We all eat. Yaaay! We survived dinner. We all clean up. Another bath for son (I know). Daddy reads a few books to son. Bed time. I write. I write and write and write. I ready for bed, maybe treat myself to a shower. ;P I read. I read and read and read. I fall asleep. Repeat.
3) If a family member read your book, what would make them say, "Oh, that's soooooo Fisher!"? I'm going to get really literal here for a second. Jules, my lead heroine in The Understorey, is a carbon copy of me....only...more polished. (LOL!) She's got black hair, pale skin, green eyes. Also, the slightly foul mouth on Harper...that's unfortunately me as well. LOL! If you asked any of my family member's what parts of my book were 'soooo Fisher', they'd say the entire thing. Ba ha ha ha! My books are my personality. 
4) What are four (real) places you'd like to visit? Rome. Dublin. Rio de Janeiro. Tokyo. For the history. For the family. 'Cause it rocks. 'Cause it's interesting. Quickies:Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate? Dark. Summer or Winter? Winter.Morning Person or Night Owl? Definitely Night Owl.Plotter or Pantser? Plotter.Angry Birds or Daydreaming? Daydreaming.
There you have it! Be sure to stop by her blog to learn more about this beautiful book: She can be found chilling at www.fisheramelie.com where you can also enter a contest to win a signed copy of Callum and Harper.
I leave you with this question: Is that cover stunning or what??

Secret Santa Giveaway

There are some really fine books being independently published these days, and I'm making a list so I can load a few up on my kindle for Christmas. (Yes, DH, that was a massive hint!)

Here are some that caught my eye:

Fateful by Cheri Schmidt features a heroine leaving small town life in Colorado to study art in London. Study art in London? Count me in! Danielle, the heroine, is hoping to find Mr. Darcy. (Um, yes, please, I'll have some of that, too.) Her hero, Ethan, is wonderful by day, but by night he's, well, a vampire. I haven't read any vamp fiction this year, so I popped this one on my list.

Would you like to win a free copy for your holiday reading? Just enter with Rafflecopter below!

Next on my list is:
Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole


Which just makes me squee because it involves a modern day girl going back in time to re-live her life as Cleopatra's hand maiden. I really miss the days when my kids were obsessed with all-things-Egyptian, and I'm looking forward to diving into this one!

Want it in your stocking? Enter below!

Finally, I'm adding:
Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
because I heard Stacey read a few pages and it was hysterical (even though the story itself is angsty and danger-filled.) The heroine suffers from hereditary visions of a tragic future which can only be avoided if she gives up what she wants most. (Hint: a very crush-worthy hero!)

Well? What books do you want in your stocking? I'll pick three winners and send them the book of their choice. Want even more free books? There's a very big giveaway going on at the YA Author Club, http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com/ so be sure to check that out. After you enter here, of course!
Happy Holidays!
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Fiction Pie: One Writer's Recipe

When I first starting rolling the idea for this post around in my mind, I thought I'd be talking about writing from the point of view of plot, story arc, character development and so on. Which kind of made me want to hit the snooze alarm. Maybe another day I'll feel inspired to write on those things. Today? Not so much.

Instead, I thought I'd serve up a slice of what writing is like using figurative language. Let me list the ingredients, and I think you'll see where I'm going with this. And be sure to let me know how your pie turns out if you try the recipe!

Fiction Pie

1 part constructive criticism (initially, seems to make tart, but will improve flavor over time)
1 part rejection
1 part rewriting (to taste)
1 part compare-self-to-others (note: this makes the pie bitter; when in doubt, leave it out)
1 part elation
1 part butt-in-chair (add more as needed)

Constructive Criticism
As noted above, initially, this seems to make your pie tart. However, so long as the criticism is of high quality and/or from a reputable supplier, you will find that you cannot get decent pie without it. I suggest going to suppliers that you know have experience and will deliver the criticism in its undiluted form. Diluted criticism may look pretty in a bottle, but will not improve your pie.

Rejection
My pies would not be tasty if it weren't for this key ingredient. It is costly, no doubt. Sometimes you might feel that you literally cannot bear what it costs you. However, when the rejection comes from suppliers such as agents and editors, it is usually seasoned with advice. This is what will make your pies robust in flavor. As with the first ingredient, you may at first find yourself staring at the rejection and thinking that you do not need the advice contained therein. That your pie was doing just fine without it, thank you very much. If this happens, I suggest you set the rejection (and advice) upon a pantry shelf for anywhere from an hour to a month. You will probably find it of value and palatable after some time has passed. I can't imagine making a pie without it, myself.

Rewriting
Do I really need to say why your pie needs this? All pies need this. There have been times I thought maybe I'd created a pie that didn't need this ingredient. However, a week or two later, it became apparent that this wasn't the case. If you doubt the need for this ingredient, set your pie in the freezer for two weeks. When you thaw it, you will probably be able to see the need for this ingredient very clearly.

Compare-Self-to-Others
It's so hard to resist. I hear you saying, "But I'm just tossing in a little bit of this. A teensy-weensy nothing of a toss." To which I reply, "Well, then, your pie can probably get by without it." You see, this ingredient, whilst attractive in packaging, will turn your pie bitter. And all the sugar in the world won't fix it. My suggestion: if you absolutely cannot resist, you need to find Others who write about their Struggles and Failures. This form of comparison can actually be helpful in some pies.

Elation
For goodness' sake, take time to savor your milestones. Elation is an essential ingredient. Perhaps yours is found in a sentence of delectable proportion. Perhaps you will come across it as you write "The End." Maybe you'll find some nestled inside a fan e-mail. Wherever you find it, gather it and treasure it. With occasional sprinkles, it will take your pie-making from the realms of drudgery into the realms divine.

Butt-in-Chair
There will be days when you are sure you can't make a pie at all. That you were never meant to make pies. That everyone else on the planet makes better pies than you do. You might think you need to go to the grocery store before you can even think about pie. (Or the nail salon, gym, movies, you name it.) But here's the thing: if you use this ingredient, even when you don't feel like it, over time your pie will get made. And your pie-making will improve. Nearly every problem pie-makers encounter can be fixed with the addition of Butt-in-Chair. So don't use it sparingly--use it frequently, regularly, and generously.

There you have it. My recipe for Fiction Pie.

I'd love to hear what ingredients you have found beneficial. (For alternate recipes, try here)

When People Ask Me Why, As An Adult, I Read and Write YA

The best morals kids get from any book is just the capacity to empathize with other people, to care about the characters and their feelings. So you don't have to write a preachy book to do that. You just have to make it a fun book with characters they care about, and they will become better people as a result. –Louis Sachar
Does reading make you a better person? Honestly, I don't know. But what Sachar writes about readers empathizing with characters strikes me as very deeply true. As a kid, I read for many reasons. Early on, I read for fun and for the sheer delight of words side by side on a page. As I grew older, I read so I could learn about kids who lived far away from me, in space or time.
These reasons continued to be important as I hit my teen years, but another reason became even more important: I read to "try on" what it was like to be brave or broken-hearted. Famous or forgotten. Victorious over impossible odds. What would it be like to be part of a large family? Or to be orphaned? How would I survive with Nazgûl or the Cauldron-Born exhaling their reeking breath upon me?
So, to what Sachar said, I would add that reading increases our capacity for courage.Even as an adult, when I read about those who suffer and then rise with valor, it makes me consider that maybe I can act with bravery. If Harry Potter could knowingly walk to meet Lord Voldemort and his own death, then maybe I can walk towards some of my darker fears.
And, like Harry, I don't have to do it alone. Harry took his friends and family with him. Do you know who I take? I bring Harry alongside me. And Dobby. And Frodo and Sam. And Katniss. And Peeta and Prim. And hundreds of other brave, true friends who are no less real to me because they're imaginary.
A writer could do this in any genre. I don't doubt it for a moment. But Young Adult literature seems to be especially rich in providing for readers: characters who (a) grow and change through (b) adventures often unenviable and which (c) end in a place of hope.
And that is what keeps me reading YA.
As a writer of YA, here is what I wish for you, my readers: I hope you will find courage from the pages of a book and make that courage your own; I want you to discover compassion for those not like you; and most of all, for those of you in pain, I want you to find friends who will stand beside you in moments of darkness and whisper to you, "It'll be okay. I'm here with you. I understand."
                                                                           

Indie Carnival: What's New?

  A few fun things to read (click to visit the blog of these fine authors!) 
1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series3.Heather Self4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga6.Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING7.Lexus Luke8.PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH9.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy10.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog11.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed12.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series13.Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga14.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy15.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews16.Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey17.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping18.Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys19.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind20.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls21.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler22.Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden23.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter24.TG Ayer

Emo Me

EMO-ME
I'm almost certain I'm going to regret this, but I found some high school writing from freshman year that was just too . . .  amazing . . . to keep to myself. You may go ahead and assume that the first person narrator is, in fact, me. And the boy? My freshman crush, of course, re-named "Gonzo" because I was, in fact, gonzo for the guy. And now, without further ado, I present, "Snow Day."
Snow Day
I'm skiing at Badger by myself – ski bus brought me up.① I'm alone since all my friends went inside because of the snow. I'm standing in a rather short line when, all the sudden, Gonzo whizzes by and says "Hello" in his way.② So, Gonzo and I go up on the lift together. It gets cold and I notice that he's only got a tee and down vest and jeans. No Gloves. I can see that he's cold.③
So I casually say "Oh Gonzo, you must be freezing. Here, wear my gloves; I've got another pair in my pocket." During which time I take his hands and stroke them like a mom who's kid is cold.④
He skis much faster than I usually do, so I have to speed up a bit. He wants to take me down the dangerous run. I've never been down it, I admit. He says that he'll get me down safely! It's starting to snow. We take the scary run and race back to the lodge and he wins.
In the lodge, friends are talking about how nice the dangerous run was today. I put my head on the table and say, "I don't need to hear it!" And suddenly I realize that the ski bus must have left already!⑤I'm in a panic, but Gonzo calms me down and says his friends can drive me down or I could spend the night with them. So he has me phone home and we all decide that it would be better to stay, because of the weather conditions.⑥
[long boring, well, even more boring section removed]
I get up after trying to sleep for an hour because the floor is so crowded with people that I can't fall asleep. I go to the big window⑦ and sit watching the snow drift down. After maybe ten minutes I get really sleepy and comfy but just a little chilled. Then, Gonzo wakes up and asks me if I could use some company! I say "Oh yes!!"⑧ and he joins me on the deep sofa.⑨ I talk and he talks and I remember about my friend who just died and get tear-y.⑩ Then, I look up at him and he leans closer to me and kisses me very softly and briefly. I run my fingers through his thick, soft hair⑾ and we kiss mouth on mouth. He covers me with warmth and sweetness. After a short yet long while, he holds me face.
[At this point, the narrative switches into Elvish script, which I've gotten a bit rusty on, but I think there was lots more slobbery kissing goin' on. And probably more running of fingers through hair.]⑿
Okay, blast-from-the-past is over. Seriously though, the next time you are worried about the quality of your writing, please feel free to stop by and re-read "Snow Day."

Notes:① Look how chic I was! I wrote in present tense decades before it came in vogue! Note also poor use of en-dash followed by incomplete sentence.② He says it in his way. Okay?③ I fail to notice he's an idiot. Hello—it's snowing! And everyone else went inside!④ Seriously debating which is worse: (a) that I want to be his mom or (b) that I wrote "who's" instead of "whose."⑤ Second use of a form of "sudden" which is only allowed three times in an 80,000 word manuscript, according to my current rules.⑥ Also because it will make the story more interesting. And! Look! I remembered to call my parents!⑦ Way to make an adjective count! "Big"—wow, just, wow!⑧ Because I just stepped out of the pages of a Louisa May Alcott book.⑨ Again with the awesome adjective!⑩ Because that always makes boys want to kiss you.⑾ Okay, now I'm actually getting scared. Because if I remember right, this is something Sam wanted to do to Will in CHAMELEON.⑿ Elvish? Really? Yes. Really. I told you HERE I was a nerd.


Also by the author of Snow Day

New from Indie Carnival Authors!

What's new this weekRefracted Light is hosting a giveaway for artist and author Selina Fenech's illustrated novel, Memory's Wake. Winner will receive a paperback copy. Open Internationally to wherever The Book Depository ships. Giveaway ends 11/10.  Click here to enter!

I'm a Reader, Not a Writer posts and interview and giveaway of Cheri Schmidt's novel  Fateful !

The Reckoning by M. Leighton, the second and final book in the Fahllen series, just released on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on Monday, October 31st. Have you gotten your copy?



Visit http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/reckoning.html for excerpts and the latest on her new release!


Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween by Laura A. H. Elliott are now available for the Nook too! To celebrate, Winnemucca includes an excerpt of Cheri Lasota's novel Artemis Rising in its Kindle & Nook versions. Happy November!