Cory Putman Oakes's Blog, page 5

The YAK Is Back! (Young Adult Keller Book Fest, That Is!)

This weekend I have the privilege of attending YAK Fest, for the second year in the row! The Young Adult Keller (“YAK”) Book Festival is one of my all-time favorite book festivals. Last year was a BLAST, and this year is shaping up to be even better!

Check out the event poster: that’s me on the “K!”

 

Here’s everything you need to know. Please note that I will be on the “This is Not Normal” Panel (yes, yes, I know – how fitting!)

WHEN: Saturday, January 19, 9am – 5pm

COST: Dude, it’s FREE.

OPEN DOOR: Come when you can and stay for as long as you like, of course we want you there all day!

WHERE: Keller High School, 601 N. Pate Orr Rd. Keller, TX 76248

SOCIAL MEDIA: twitter / facebook / blog

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Simone Elkeles, BAM. That’s what we’re talking about.

 

Panels of AWESOME Breakdown:

Keeping It Real – Jessica Anderson, Charles Benoit, Chris Crutcher (afternoon only), Simone Elkeles, Guadalupe Garica McCall, Jessica Warman, Lori Aurelia Williams and Shannon Greenland

This is Not Normal – Rosemary Clement Moore, Cory Oakes, Victoria Scott, Mary Lindsey and Jeff Hirsch

This is Not Normal Either – Krissi Dallas, Tracy Deebs, Greg Leitich Smith and Andrea White

Vampire Smack Down – Cynthia Leitich Smith, Rachel Caine and Jason Henderson

Poetry Workshop – Colin Gilbert

A Walk on the Weird Side – Kelley Milner Halls

Choctaw Tales – Tim Tingle

 

Here’s the schedule of AWESOME:

 

Because we know you’ll have questions, here are some things that CAN and WILL HAPPEN:

There will be books available for purchase from The Book Carriage, and they will be selling books all day.

The Book Carriage will accept cash and credit cards.

You may bring some books from home for authors to sign.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase at lunch.

Why, yes there is a twitter hashtag. It’s  #YAKFest13 – thanks for asking. We WANT you to tweet.

Of course you can talk and have your picture taken with your favorite author(s) during the signing.  We insist upon it.

Other stuff that is just as important:

Want to VOLUNTEER? It’ll be fun. We promise.  If interested please contact Janet at Janet.Adams@kellerisd.net

MEDIA INQUIRIES? Please contact Stacy at stacy@girlsinthestacks.com

I hope to see you all there!

CPO

Happy INDIE-pendence Day!

 

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Happy INDIE-pendence Day, everyone!

We Indelibles thought it would be fun to start a blog fest where we could all recognize an indie author (that’s self or small published author) that we especially love. To view the other blogs that are participating in the fest, head on over to our HOME PAGE.

But first, stick around to hear about my chosen indie author – the wonderful RHIANNON PAILLE (plus a giveaway and an interview!)

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I first met Rhi when we discovered that our debut YA novels were going to share a book birthday! Her debut, FLAME OF SURRENDER (Book #1 of The Ferryman and the Flame series) came out on November 1, 2011 – the same day as my debut, THE VEIL. We exchanged advance copies of our books and immediately became big fans of one another. She is lovely, her books are lovely, and she is well worth checking out if you’re into high fantasy!

Here’s the blurb for FLAME OF SURRENDER:

Kaliel and Krishani weren’t meant to meet or fall in love but they did. Krishani’s dreams of death lead him to a fate he’s terrified of – becoming the next Ferryman. His only refuge is Kaliel, the peculiar girl that swims with merfolk and talks to trees. Kaliel has a secret of her own. She’s the Amethyst Flame, one of nine apocalyptic weapons. The Valtanyana will destroy everything on Avristar to get to her. Kaliel has to choose: face them, hide or unleash the Flame. 

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Intrigued by FLAME OF SURRENDER? Enter to win an ebook copy by leaving a comment on this blog post telling me:

1. Your favorite fantasy novel of all time

2. Your email address

The winner will be randomly selected and notified via the email address you give me.

And just to get you even more excited about Rhi, here’s a short interview with the woman herself:

Hi Rhi! Thanks so much for being here today! I am a huge fan of your writing – let me start by asking how you got the initial idea for The Ferryman and the Flame Series?

Aw thanks Cory! I’m glad you picked me for the feature!

It’s hard to say where the idea for a story came from when it was with me for fifteen years. It’s a long story and so if I had to be honest the initial idea came on the day I met a boy at a waterpark. I was thirteen, we spent six hours together, I never forgot him.

 

Do you ever base characters on real life people? (I’m especially interested to hear if Kaliel and Krishani’s were inspired by real people.)

Yes, Kaliel and Krishani are based on real people. Funny tidbit, the girl on the cover of the first book and the guy on the cover of the second book, are dating now. I remain the reason they kissed in the first place. (but the characters aren’t based on them at all.

 

What is your writing process? Do you outline?

I’m an outlining junkie. I have outlines completed for twelve books. Yeah I know, but there is a method to my madness. We would not get genius dialogue like the below without my outlining skills. Let’s see if you can figure out who’s talking in this little snippet from a scene in book 4, Flame of Forgiveness.

Character 1: Did you also tell her she’s a mystical being that could destroy us all?

Character 2: No.

Character 1: But she knows you’re going to kill her.

Character 2: She figured that out on her own.

Character 1: What didn’t she figure out?

Character 2: That I love her.

 

Do you follow a writing schedule or do you just write when the spirit moves you?

I don’t force it, when a book is ready to be written it’ll just be written. Flame of the Apocalypse for instance was that kind of book. I felt it and when I was ready I wrote 133,000 words in 5 weeks. Sadly though all I’ve done since last July is edit, edit, outline and write some short fiction.

 

Do you read while you are writing? What is the best book you’ve read lately and why?

Oh I’ve found a lot of duds lately. Books I want to get into but just can’t for some reason. The last really amazing book I read was The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. That book took me out of time and space for a bit, which is what I like books to do.

 

Since it’s Indie-pendence day, let’s talk about being an Indie Author! What do you think are the advantages/disadvantages of being an Indie?

I’m actually planning on answering this on my blog by doing a special series called “I’m Indie so you assume . . .” and discuss the myriad of things people assume about Indie authors and the truth for myself.

My favorite thing about being Indie is the lack of pressure. I can write my books the way I want to, and nobody is telling me to make this character say that or remove a character or what not.

My least favorite thing is the stigma. Indies are getting shoved into the Self Pubbed category lately, it’s like there’s a huge divide, you’re either Indie or your with a Big Publisher and there’s some obvious attitudes out there regarding Indie Authors. (Hence why I’m going to launch my series which mind you is going to make a few enemies but I think it’s important to point out how I feel.)

 

How many books are going to be in the Ferryman and the Flame series?

The big six! Actually six and a half books are planned and outlined and even half written. (Editing is a whole other story though.)

 

Do you have any other projects in the works that you can tell us about?

If you haven’t tried out some of my Last City on Earth series, you should. It’s actually completely fictional (unlike The Ferryman and the Flame which is actually based on some hidden/lost history/mythology/folklore)

Last City on Earth is about the only immortal girl in the last city on Earth and her perils as their hero / enemy and her great to the power of inifinity nephew Milo, and his struggles with being gay in a dystopian society.

 

What is your website/Facebook/Twitter information so that people can keep track of you?

I’m known as RhiannonPaille pretty much everywhere except my website.

www.yafantasyauthor.com

www.facebook.com/rhiannonpaille

www.twitter.com/rhiannonpaille

skype: rhiannonpaille

yahoo: rhiannonpaille

e-mail: rhiannonpaille@gmail.com

 

I’m so excited for the release of Flame of Justice – I’ve already gotten to read it (gloat, gloat, gloat) but when will it be available for everyone to enjoy? (And where can people get ahold of it?)

It’ll be out when it’s out. I don’t know what we’re doing with that. Countdown widget says October 5th but we’re not even finished editing yet (barely started) and so we might push that to December 1st.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions! Happy Indie-pendence Day!

Don’t forget – FLAME OF JUSTICE comes out later this year! You can read my review HERE or you can just gaze at the awesome cover below and read the blurb over and over again until it’s here!

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The last thing Kaliel told Krishani to do was go to the Lands of Men and forget her. Krishani escapes and meets his ancestor, Tulsen. He’s clear: if Krishani doesn’t accept that he’s a Ferryman, he’ll become what the Ferrymen fight—a Vulture. Filled with grief, Krishani sets out on a quest to find the Flames before the Valtanyana take them. When Krishani comes face to face with the enemies that ravaged Avristar, he challenges them. He knows he doesn’t have a chance, but it’s his last stand.

How far would you go to destroy yourself?

HAPPY INDIE-PENDENCE DAY, everyone!

CPO

MY BIG NEWS!

Everyone, I’m sorry that I’ve been so neglectful of my blog lately. As of today, I am 25 weeks pregnant and carrying around our soon-to-be-little-boy has taken up all of my energy lately . . . but today I am thrilled to announce that I have BIG NEWS!!

 

I just signed with literary agent Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown!!

 

Sarah will be representing my unpublished middle grade series, The Avannia Prophecies (a snippet of the first book is available HERE, if you are interested) as well as my YA series (of which THE VEIL is the first book).

I am BEYOND excited! Sarah loves centaurs (which, spoiler alert, explains why she likes The Avannia Prophecies!). She has been with Curtis Brown for five years and she also has an awesome blog called Glass Cases. I can’t wait to start working with her!

Anyhow, if you’ve known me for any length of time you know that I have a tradition of “celebrating” my various publishing rejections by eating cupcakes. Well, today I’d like to turn that tradition on its head and truly celebrate this new stage in my literary career with the treats that have helped me get through some tough times.

 

 

Please help yourself!! As you can see, I’ve already gotten started!

CPO

And The Winner Of The Hunger Games Illustrated Movie Companion Is . . .

 

LINDSEY SMITH!

 

Congratulations, Lindsey! And a huge thank you to everyone who left comments on my Indelibles post last week about the Hunger Games movie (if you missed the post and all of the fabulous comments, click HERE to see it!). You guys made it very hard to pick a winner, but I ultimately chose Lindsey because of how insightful she was and how much information she added to the discussion.

I'm so glad that you are all as excited as I am about the Hunger Games movie! I hope that none of us are disappointed . . . may the odds be ever in our favor

-CPO

It’s Release Day for IN HIS EYES!

 

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I am so excited to be a part of a wonderful new anthology, IN HIS EYES, that is being released today! (Valentines Day, 2012)

Just in time for Valentines Day, The Indelibles  bring you a one-of-a-kind young adult anthology! Sixteen original short stories, all from the point of view of our favorite male characters – some are old flames from our novels and some were dreamed up especially for this anthology. 

Let these imminently crushable, swoon-worthy guys show you what romance looks like – in his eyes. 

My short story is called PRECALCULUS. It is a rewrite of Chapter 2 from The Veil (the cougar-in-the-math-class scene) – written from Luc’s point of view. So now you can see what was really going on in Luc’s head, when he watched the whole thing unfold (and what about Luc and Emily? What was he really thinking about that?).

I feel so privileged to have worked with my fellow Indelibles to put IN HIS EYES together! We had a blast doing it and we hope you have just as good of a time reading it!

You can find IN HIS EYES on Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com. You can also add it on Goodreads.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!`

It's Release Day for IN HIS EYES!

 

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I am so excited to be a part of a wonderful new anthology, IN HIS EYES, that is being released today! (Valentines Day, 2012)

Just in time for Valentines Day, The Indelibles  bring you a one-of-a-kind young adult anthology! Sixteen original short stories, all from the point of view of our favorite male characters – some are old flames from our novels and some were dreamed up especially for this anthology. 

Let these imminently crushable, swoon-worthy guys show you what romance looks like – in his eyes. 

My short story is called PRECALCULUS. It is a rewrite of Chapter 2 from The Veil (the cougar-in-the-math-class scene) – written from Luc's point of view. So now you can see what was really going on in Luc's head, when he watched the whole thing unfold (and what about Luc and Emily? What was he really thinking about that?).

I feel so privileged to have worked with my fellow Indelibles to put IN HIS EYES together! We had a blast doing it and we hope you have just as good of a time reading it!

You can find IN HIS EYES on Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com. You can also add it on Goodreads.

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!`

Writing Like a Dude (Grunt Grunt, Scratch Scratch)

 

I recently got the opportunity to be a part of a very cool anthology called IN HIS EYES (releasing on Valentines Day, 2012). The idea was for me and my fellow Indelibles to assemble a collection of short stories told from the point of view of our favorite male characters. I have never written anything from a first-person male perspective before, but I happily accepted the challenge.

My idea was to re-write Chapter 2 of The Veil (the "cougar-in-the-math-class-scene," for those of you who are familiar). The original Chapter 2 was told from Addy's perspective (as was the entire book), but this version of Chapter 2 would be from Luc's perspective. After all, that day had been a life-changer for him as well.

As I sat down to write, I started to get nervous. I really wanted to do Luc justice, and I was stuck on how and where to begin. I asked for advice on #yalitchat. I procrastinated by tweeting about how I was preparing to get into the male mindset by grunting, scratching myself, and hitting stuff. Then I finally got down to business and pounded out Draft #1.

The problem? Luc came off sounding like a jerk.

His sentences were all short, choppy, and rather Neanderthal-sounding. There was absolutely nothing appealing about him at all – and every character that he described (including Addy and Emily) came off sounding two-dimensional as well.

Sigh. My "write like a dude" writing experiment had failed.

I took a break and when I came back, I realized that my approach was ridiculous. Focusing on the fact that Luc was a "dude" was turning him into a cartoon of himself. It was also preventing me from getting inside of his head.

So I took another pass at the chapter, this time setting aside the "write like a dude" assignment and instead focusing instead on coming up with a meaningful version of that day's events, from Luc's point of view.

And that's when things started working. Luc started to sound like Luc again – and through his eyes, Emily and Addy started sounding like themselves again too. Ironically, it wasn't until I actually forgot Luc was a dude that I was able to make him sound like one.

I'm not sure if this exercise has convinced me that I could ever write an entire book from a male perspective – at least for the moment, I am much more comfortable writing from a female point of view. But it has opened my eyes to the fact that focusing on just one aspect of any character makes for very flat and boring writing.

I am very proud of my immersion into "writing like a dude" and I am even more proud of the end result. You can find Luc's story, Precalculus, in the upcoming anthology IN HIS EYES, along with fifteen other short stories that were written from the male perspective. This Valentines Day, why not take a moment to get inside the heads of some hot, intriguing – and fictional! – dudes? Let The Indelibles show you what the romance looks like – in his eyes!

 

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 Coming Valentines Day, 2012!

Tween Books – Are They A Thing? (Spotlight: ON THE BRIGHT SIDE by S.R. Johannes)

"TWEEN" Books – Are They A Thing?

 

There is no Amazon category for them.

Barnes & Noble doesn't have a shelf for them.

Is there really such a thing as a "tween" book?

If you're eleven, and a reader, you have two choices of reading material. You could mosey on over to the Middle Grade section, which contains books for ages 8 through 12. But the Middle Grade section is, without question, a part of the "Children's" section of the bookstore. And you're not a little kid anymore. The books here are ok, but you can finish them now in like a day or less and some of them are starting to sound kind of baby-ish to you. More like the stuff your nine-year-old little sister would like.

Your next choice? The Young Adult section. Usually on the outskirts of the Children's section, this is decidedly the more "adult" option – but is it too adult? At eleven, you like romantic tales but the racey, physical romances in many young adult books aren't really your thing, just yet. Besides, your mom would kill you if she found something like that in your room.

So what's a tween to do?

The problem lies in the broad age ranges encompassed by both the Middle Grade and the Young Adult categories. Middle Grade imagines that an eight year old and a twelve year old could share a reading list, while Young Adult believes that a sixth grader and a college freshman enjoy the same books. Obviously this is fiction (pardon the pun). There is a hidden category here – the kids who have just outgrown Middle Grade but who aren't quite ready for full-on "young adult" fare.

These are the "tweens." They fall somewhere in the range of 8 to 14 years of age, depending on who you ask. And despite much talk of the lucrative "tween market" and their reported $43 billion in annual spending power, traditional publishing has yet to define a category just for them. (see HERE  for a discussion of tween buying power,  but also see HERE, noting that tweens lack the independent purchasing power of teens).

This oversight by the major publishing houses may have created a golden opportunity for the indies.

My friend (and fellow Indelible), S.R. Johannes, is embarking on a tween marketing experiment. Her question: is there an ebook market for tweens? (Specifically, she wants to know: are tweens online and do they have ereaders? See her BLOG POST for more).

To find the answer, Johannes is releasing On The Bright Side, a tween angel book about fourteen-year-old Gabby, a reluctant guardian angel who is assigned to protect her former frenemy and arch nemesis back on earth. Here is the adorable cover and official "blurb":

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As if the devil's food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she's stuck wearing for eternity weren't bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, Skyphones and InnerNets are all the rage. At her first Bright ceremony, G.O.D., the automated assignment system, spits out Angela Black, Gabby's arch nemesis and longtime fencing rival. As a Bright, Gabby has to protect Angela, her assigned mortal, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven.  

Back on earth, Angela starts hitting on Michael, Gabby's crush and should-have-been boyfriend. Gabby's pranks to quell the love are harmless at first until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, Celestial Sky Agent, Clarence, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, steps into reveal that Angela has big problems, and what she really needs is Gabby's help. Determined to right her wrong and ease her mother's grief, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to earth for just one day. But if Gabby's not careful, her well-meaning mission just might shift the very foundation of Heaven, Earth, and every place in between, causing the danger of the dark side to roam free.

On The Bright Side is set for release on January 31, 2012.

I had the privilege of reading an ARC of this book and let me tell you, it rocks!! It's cute and funny, but also touching. It I were a tween, this one would definitely be on my list!

I can't wait to see what happens with this book. The idea that there may be a yet-undiscovered tween ebook market out there is enticing – three cheers to S.R. Johannes for blazing the trail!

Click here for a sneak peek at the first two chapters.

Click here for On The Bright Side's Goodreads Page

To follow S.R. Johannes's tween marketing journey:

Check out her BLOG!

Follow her on TWITTER!

Check her out on FACEBOOK!

YAK Fest!

This weekend was YAK Fest (The Young Adult Keller Book Fest) in Keller, Texas and MAN did I have a great time!

On Friday evening, we were treated to an Author's Dinner at The Book Carriage and Coffee Shop, a beautiful indie bookstore in downtown Roanoke. I somehow neglected to take a picture of the gorgeous brick building, so I stole this one off of their website (sorry, Larry and Angie! I hope you don't mind!!)

 

Here's a bunch of the authors! Clockwise from the top: Charles Benoit (his book: YOU); Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Burned, Impulse and the list goes on and on .. .); Jeff Hirsch (The Eleventh Plague, which I am currently reading and which gives me nightmares – in a good way, Jeff!); J.M. Richardson (The Twenty-Nine); ME; fellow Austinite Lori Williams (Broken China); and Krissi Dallas (whose awesome Phantom Island series takes me to a happier place after Jeff's book has thoroughly freaked me out).

 

Here is me with Ellen Hopkins! Can you tell by my face here that I am slightly excited to meet her?! She could not have been cooler in person, by the way!

 

And here's me with Krissi Dallas! Her Phantom Island series (starting with Windchaser and Windfall) is a must-read – she sometimes calls it "fantasy for people who don't like fantasy." But I think it's one of those rare series that has something for everyone. LOVE IT.

 

The next morning, we headed to Keller High School for the festival! Yes, that weird shaped shadow in the picture is me

 

This sign in front of the library caught my eye . . .

 

Here is Kelly Milner Halls (Saving the Baghdad Zoo) posing with the YAK! (What? You assumed there wouldn't be any actual yaks at YAK Fest?)

 

Here are all of our books! WOOT!

 

The Speculative Fiction Panel (left to right: Jeff Hirsch, J.M. Richardson, me, Samantha Cook and Krissi Dallas) posing with our first group of the day!

 

This girl had the best hat of the day – hands down!

 

Three cheers for three Veil fan girls! These ladies were awesome!

We had three panel sessions, then an autograph session, and then we were all done! It was a wonderful day of book-talk! I was really impressed by the great questions we received from the awesome folks who came to see us, and from our fabulous and fearless moderator (Nancy, from Girls in the Stacks!). Once we were finished for the day, I kind of just wanted to do it all over again!

I'd like to send out a huge THANK YOU to Lucy Kubo, the lovely and very hard-working genius behind the entire event – congratulations, Lucy, and to all of the other librarians, staff, and volunteers who worked so hard to make the day a success. (Once you're all rested up, you'd better get started planning next year's fest! You're going to have to work pretty hard to top this one!!)

And The Winner Is . . .

 

Congratulations to . . .

 

Aeicha Matteson 

 

The winner of my blog contest for The Indelibles Blog Hop/Launch Day!

Aeicha, your copy of The Veil is on its way to you!

Thank you so much for everyone who entered! I hope you all had a great time on the hop – you all get extra points in my book for sticking around until the "bitter end" and making it all the way to my blog! All of us Indelibles had a blast meeting you guys this week – and we've got a lot of awesome stuff coming up as well, so make sure you stick with us!

 

Best,

CPO