Samantha March's Blog, page 24

Coming Fall 2012: The Green Ticket

I am slowly but surely making my way through some self-edits and rewrites on book number two. Four chapters left to edit and countless scenes that need tweaked, added or plain deleted. I mentioned in my previous post about characters just seeming to disappear, so I have to make the decision to get rid of them or add more scenes where they pop back in. Also when I first started writing I had a totally different idea for two of the supporting characters, but their personalities came out very differently towards the end of the story. So now I am going back and making everything match up, and it’s taking a lot work to make sure these characters are coming off the way I would now like. Should just be a few more weeks before it is off to my editor, and I cannot wait! 
I did say I would reveal the title in this post, and I will stay true to my word. I wanted to wait until all my self-edits were done in case I changed my mind, but the title actually came to me before I had plotted out the story and I really can’t see it changing. So…the title of book number will be THE GREEN TICKET. Now I can finally quit saying “book number two” all the time! My next goal is to get the synopsis on here, but that may take some time after I start with my editor. I’m excited to keep working away, and I’m pushing for late summer/early fall for the release date.

Authors In Bloom Giveaway Hop/Enter to Win A Nook/Enter to Win a Kindle!

Authors In Bloom Giveaway Hop/Enter to Win A Nook/Enter to Win a Kindle!
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I am so excited to be taking part of this Blog Hop! Big thanks to Dianne Venetta and Tiffany @ A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews for hosting this fabulous event. Let me first share a recipe with you. This is something I recently stumbled across in a cookbook and really enjoyed. I think it's a good spring-y type recipe, and hope you try it out!

[image error]  Tortellini Salad
 Ingredients:
20 oz. fresh tortellini (cheese, or spinach and cheese filled)
16 oz. Kraft Seven Seas Viva Italian Dressing
4 oz. sliced black olives (drained)
5 oz. sliced green salad olives (drained)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (fresh grated, no canned stuff)
pepper, to taste

 Instructions:
Boil the chicken for about 20 minutes, depending on thickness. Set aside, cool, and cut into cubes.
Boil tortellini for 4 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. (When it's still slightly warm, the dressing will soak in better)!
In a large bowl, add all ingredients except the cheese. Mix well, cover and let set in refrigerator for 8 hours or over night. Stir occasionally.

[image error] Now – let's get to the prizes! I will be giving away one print copy of my novel Destined to Fail. Please note this will be open to US/Canada residents only. To enter, please fill out the form below. For extra entries, "like" the Samantha March Facebook page or follow Samantha March on Twitter. Please indicate in the form if you completed these extras. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, April 18.

It gets better – you can also be entered into a grand prize drawing to win a Kindle or Nook (to be chosen by the winner) and $25 worth of books! All you need to do is visit the blogs that are participating it the hop and copy and paste the special phrase that is unique to each blog. Get them all, fill out the form at www.acozyreaderscorner.com and you are entered! My phrase is below, as well as a list of all the blogs on the tour. Good luck to everyone who enters and for more details please check out www.diannevenetta.com or www.acozyreaderscorner.com.

Line 52: the change is remarkable.

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Next Up: Edits and Rewrites

Ah, finally. The first draft of book #2 is complete! Typing those last words (which I'm sure will get changed in the revising process) took a huge weight off my shoulders. That weight was lifted for about, oh, five minutes, give or take. Then came the printing of all the chapters, quickly followed by me dusting off the red pen. Bring on the edits! I started reading through everything last week, marking up my pages with the red pen and highlighter (see photo), and filling countless pages in my notebook with scenes that need rewritten, content that needs added or deleted, etc, etc. I started working on this book back in October when Destinedto Fail was being edited, and I don't edit my work as I go. Let me rephrase that – when I write, I write chapter by chapter. I start from the beginning and write until the end. Once a chapter is complete, I go back and re-read the chapter and fix any glaring typos, but I leave all the heavy editing until the end. My reasoning is that I don't want to get too caught up in the edits, I want to keep writing and reaching my word count goals and keep the story flowing. 
So now I am working on a quick self-edit, to be followed by rewriting. I'll give an example of a rewrite I need to do. In the beginning of the story, my MC Alex gets offered a management position at a salon and spa. She gets the job over an internal employee, Kamille, who is not pleased that she didn't get the job offer. Kamille works hard to sabotage Alex and the plans she have, taking opportunities to make Alex look like a bad employee in front of the bosses. I built up all these scenes where Alex tries to figure out how to show Kamille's true side to the owners, but then after chapter 8 – Kamille just disappears. I mean, literally is not spoken of again throughout the remainder of the book. Hello?! Where the heck did Kamille go? I was banging my head against the wall when I realized that giant error. So that's a big issue that will need to be worked on in the coming days. 
I'm pretty excited to be moving on to the next phase in the book. I can't wait to start working with my editor shortly and then start looking for some beta readers, who are always so helpful to indie authors. The next post (hopefully to go up next week) will be the title announcement!

It's All Coming Together

Well, I'm about two thousand words away from the first draft of my second book being complete. It's been quite a ride with this one. My schedule is crazy busy, but I make sure to follow the rule you hear from so many authors: keep writing! Some days I literally got in a hundred words, but I wanted to make sure I kept plugging away. Now that this part is almost behind me, I know I will have my work cut out for me with the rewrites. But I'm also so excited to get to that part because I finally have a clear path of what my characters are doing.
When I started writing, I had a general outline, and it's been very interesting to see how that outline has changed once I started putting pen to paper. For example, a major character, Lani Dohlman, was supposed to be aware that her husband is quite the cheater. I had her written as someone who didn't care her husband was unfaithful, as long as she got her money, nice cars, and designer clothes. But when I started to write about her, I just couldn't do it. The Lani that was making herself known in my story was not that way. No, she was just someone who loved her husband and was desperate to keep her family together, even if that meant during the blind eye to the affairs. It's been such a fascinating experience for me to see these characters come alive and really have a voice. And sure – a bit frustrating when I realized my original plan wasn't going to work, but I know it's for the best and I just have to listen to these dang voices in my head. *Insert the "I'm not crazy!" comment*
So even though the rewrites will probably take a while and have me pulling my hair out, I feel confident with my story and can't wait to send it off to some beta readers real soon!

Guest Post by Kay Bratt

Mean Girls Usually Finish Last
I, along with my twin sister, was born in a tiny, quiet town in Kansas.  Though I am fairly young (ish), I have those stories of walking uphill to school in the snow, of wearing bread sacks over my ragged shoes, and of being singled out for owning the dreaded blue free-lunch-card that labeled us as needy.  After many years of multiple addresses in too many towns to count in various states like Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Louisiana, Illinois, and even California, my family and I finally settled in South Carolina.
That feeling persisted through adulthood, even when I met my husband and we began an amazing life together. As you can guess, when he announced that we had an opportunity to move to China, I was an adult without roots therefore was the first one voting "Let's Go!" 
My biggest move—and most exciting adventure so far—gave me the courage to pursue one consistent dream I had silently carried since I was in the third grade. It was a dream that I'd never spoken aloud in front of the other, more-accomplished, (mean) girls.
To be a writer. 
I won't say it was easy. Saying I come from humble beginnings is putting it kindly. Agents and publishers weren't completely receptive to a woman with no author credits to her name, writing about an issue that doesn't even apply in their own country. What they didn't bargain for though, was the tenacity someone with a survivor's spirit like me possessed. 
Each time I was criticized and shot down, I sucked it up and tried harder. Despite the naysayers, in addition to learning the basics of the notoriously difficult language of Mandarin, I wrote my memoir and published it. 
When it took off like wildfire and sold thousands within the first two months, I cried tears of relief. They were wrong—they were all wrong. Somebody was interested in what I had to say. It was a hard fight but sheer will had prevailed. 
When AmazonEncore called me and told me they had been watching my sales numbers climb and would like to be my publisher and relaunch Silent Tears, I thought it was a prank call. When I realized it was real, I pulled over on the side of the road because my heart was beating so fast I thought I would faint. 
Then I snagged an agent.
When my book sold thousands more and was released again this year by HMH, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and put in bookstores, I was more than thankful. I was ecstatic. 
However, that little voice in the back of my head kept asking me if I was a one-hit wonder or if I thought I could do it again. For three years I went through the same irrational thoughts of who would want to buy another book written by me? A nobody? The forever new kid?
But I had years of experiences from my time in China; memories of the hardships suffered by the people, and ideas about plots. The stories rolling around in my head refused to be ignored. So I buckled down for eleven months of nonstop research and pecking away at the keyboard, and I did it again. 
I wrote a novel titled Chasing China; A Daughter's Quest for Truth. Again I self-published and sat back and bit my nails and prayed someone—anyone—would buy it. 
I was rewarded again for my tenacity. Chasing China went live on November 26, 2011. During the week after Christmas, Chasing China was downloaded almost 30,000 times and afterwards stayed in the Amazon Top 100 Paid Kindle Books list for 5 consecutive days. If you are not familiar with the publishing world, I'll explain it using my husband's words, "That's big, Kay. That's really big!" Not so bad for a poor kid from the cornfields, right?
These days I am back in the United States, residing in the beautiful state of Georgia. Though I still don't feel like I belong, it doesn't matter anymore because I am happily married to the love of my life and living a dream I fought hard to make come true. And I have learned something important about myself. If I want to make something happen, with enough determination and hard work, nothing can stop me. 
To all of you who are struggling through the trials of life, I've learned something else, too. Mean girls usually finish last.
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Kay's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Chasing China before March 5 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**
Connect with Kay!

Website: http://kaybratt.com/
 
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kay-Bratt/112957968144

Twitter: twitter.com/kaybratt

Q&A with Heather Hummel

When did you know writing was for you?
[image error]  When I was in third grade (1974!) I had open heart surgery and spent three months at home recuperating. Because I was nine, I was old enough to understand that my classmates didn't understand that there was something wrong with me¾after all, I looked just fine on the outside. And I was young enough to not fully comprehend the medical aspect of it all. They used a doll to show me how the surgery would go…I still have that doll! It was during those three months of being home and away from school that I started writing…nothing elaborate, of course, but things like poems and short stories. I wrote almost every day and haven't stopped since.
How would you describe your books?
 Chick lit, but with some deep issues such as teen suicide and emotionally abusive relationships. At the same time, I'm a strong believer in the power of words and that how we use them has a great impact on outcomes in our lives. As a writer, being able to express this belief through my characters, especially Samantha in Write from the Heart, has been a fictional way of showing just how powerful words¾be them spoken or written thoughts¾can be, and that changing our "mantras" from negative to positive can change our lives.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Resisting the temptation to go back and edit until the novel is complete. When I wrote WRITE FROM THE HEART I wrote straight through, but that was during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I didn't have time to stop and edit. It worked out well, and I learned that I can do it that way and even enjoy it. With WHISPERS FROM THE HEART and now WISDOM FROM THE HEART (forthcoming third novel in the Journals from the Heart series), it's been harder to just keep writing. When I write for a client, or back in the day when I wrote for magazines, and am under a deadline, I write the first draft straight through without editing  until I'm done. I prefer to do it that way, but my reality is I also love editing as I go. Therein lies the hardest part of the writing process!
[image error] What are your favorite genres to read?
I read other chick lit authors, but I enjoy a variety of genres and go through phases. I read a bunch of writing books (Stephen King's On Writing, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, etc.) when I first left teaching to write full time. Then I went through a spiritual awakening and read almost all of the Hay House author's books. Now I try and blend genres more. Sometimes the book I gravitate toward is a freebie I just downloaded. I love my Kindle, and it's as diverse in its collection of books as my iPhone is with its collection of music.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
 That the power of the pen doesn't belong to writers alone. Journal writing is a powerful tool for creating and manifesting in life. What we write in our journals is like making a contract with the Universe…and our thoughts written down become a force that can create faster than you'd think. My characters are everyday women, not necessarily spiritual…they're going through big life changes and use journal writing as a release, coping mechanism, and in WRITE FROM THE HEART, as a way of changing negative thinking into positive thinking so that she can recreate her reality. 
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
 A year ago I would have said, "Very important." Nowadays it, in my opinion, it feels like visual stimulation. Tweets and Facebook posts all begin to blend with quotes and book promos and people trying to be your friend so you'll buy their book. Since I've done a lot of book signings with GRACEFULLY (McGraw-Hill 2008), I know how much of an impact the in person meet and greets can have. At the same time, in one weekend I had thousands of downloads of my novels because I ran a freebie weekend and Tweeted it every hour. I think a healthy balance of both is best. I did a book signing last weekend and had a decent turnout for a rainy day.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?  I get asked this all the time, and my answer is that I would discourage them…because if they can be discouraged they should be discouraged. I borrow this philosophy from the Beatles producer, George Martin, who was known for saying the same thing about the music industry. Any creative field is competitive and tough…you have to absolutely love what you're doing to make it, and then back it up with talent, action, passion, and never giving up. Now that I'm back into photography after a sabbatical, I look at all these professionals who have amazing images and wonder if I'll ever aspire to their level. That's how I used to look at traditionally published authors (back when you had to have an agent and a big six contract to be "someone.") I know for sure that I could never be discouraged to write or to do photography…and when you can't see yourself doing anything else whatsoever, then you know you're on the right path and you'll figure the rest out.
Heather Hummel's Author Bio
Heather Hummel is a Photonovelist. Her published works include:

Journals from the Heart Series:
Whispers from the Heart (2011) 1st Honorable Mention New York Book Festival
Write from the Heart (2011)
Nonfiction:
GO BIKE & Other Signs from the Universe (2011)
Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008), Honorable Mention Mature Media Awards, 2009
Essays:
Messages of Hope and Healing ( Sunpiper Media, 2006)
Blue Ridge Anthology (Cedar Creek, 2007) with David Baldacci and Rita Mae Brown

Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Health, Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million. A graduate with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, Heather holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree with concentrations in English and Secondary Education. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.

Visit Heather's website at http://www.heatherhummel.net
Follow Heather on Twitter @HeatherHummel: http://twitter.com/#!/HeatherHummel
"Like" Heather's Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/HeatherHummelFanPage
Visit Heather's photo Gallery on Fotoblur http://www.fotoblur.com/portfolio/photonovelistheatherhummel
 **Everyone who leaves a comment on Heather's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Write from the Heart before March 19 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**
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Destined to Fail Blog Tour

I am so excited to be going on my very own blog tour with A Tale of Many Reviews! It will run February 27-March 2, and I'm thrilled to be featured on some awesome blogs! I will leave the tour schedule below and link to the posts as they go up. Cheers!

DESTINED TO FAIL Tour Schedule

February 27:
 The Autumn Review ~ Review & Giveaway
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf ~ Excerpt & Giveaway
Confessions of a Hungry Bibliophile ~ Review & Giveaway

February 28:
Alexa Loves Books ~ Review & Giveaway
Jersey Girl Book Reviews ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

February 29:
Good Choice Reading ~ Story Behind the Story Guest Post & Giveaway
The Chick Lit Bee ~ Review & Giveaway

March 1:
Reviews By Molly ~ Author Interview & Giveaway

March 2:
Turning the Pages ~ Top 10 Guest Post & Giveaway
Kindle and Me ~ Excerpt & Giveaway
A Tale of Many Reviews ~ Final Stop & Giveaway

Book Review: Chasing China by Kay Bratt

Mia is beautiful, talented and has the world at her fingertips. But what makes her different than the average college student who juggles a heavy workload and a rat of a boyfriend? Many years ago she was born to an unknown family in China but soon discarded to fend for herself in a busy train station.  Fate stepped in when Mia was taken to the local orphanage and adopted at the age of four by her American family. Life has been good for her, or at least as much as she has allowed it to be while pushing her deep feelings of abandonment to the back of her mind. Finally she has decided that in order to move forward, she must confront her past. Mia takes a journey to the mysterious land of her birth and embarks on a mission to find answers. As she follows the invisible red thread back through her motherland, she is enamored by the history and culture of her heritage--strengthening her resolve to get to the truth, even as Chinese officials struggle to keep it buried. With her unwavering spirit of determination, Mia battles the forces stacked against her and faces mystery, danger, a dash of romance, and finally a conclusion that will change her life.
Well, this is quite the emotional story. I love how much you learn from reading, and this is definitely a book that educated me on a topic I had never previously heard of. The orphanages in China are just one of the appalling factors that I was informed about, and just a lot about China in general. My heart broke reading about the children that are snatched from their homes in order to beg and steals on the streets – and what happens if they don't bring anything back for the captors. The cover-ups that go on from government officials and authorities made me feel like I was reading a juicy spy novel of sorts– until I was brought back to reality. These are real situation that are happening every day.  Wow.
Bratt weaves Mia's journey with a delicate hand but a strong voice. Mia is so brave and such a beautiful heroine. I loved the romance angle as well, except there were a few times where I thought Jax's dialogue was a bit peculiar. To my ears he sounded much older than his age. There were a few editing mistakes that I caught along the way as well, but nothing to really deter me from the plot. Overall, I thought this was a really great book that I think people should read, for the story and for the educational experience you can get. I look forward to reading more from Kay Bratt. 
****4 stars ****
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Kay's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Chasing China before March 5 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**  Connect with Kay!

Website: http://kaybratt.com/
 
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kay-Bratt/112957968144

Twitter: twitter.com/kaybratt

Bring on the Rewrites

I have mentioned in a few previous posts about my writing journey for book number two. Now that I am near completion with the first draft, it's interesting to look back and see how the story has come together. And how much I am going to have to work on the rewrites! This book follows my MC Alex Abrams and four of her girlfriends. Her best friend and roommate, Lila, was going to be a big part of the book, and the three other friends were going to be pretty minor characters. I knew that I wanted to give at least one more somewhat of a story line, and I thought that character would be Carmen. I started writing Carmen as a big drinker, a fun loving party girl who always had a margarita in hand. Alex and company start to get worried that Carmen is possibly into the booze a bit too much, and they also begin to wonder if she is attending class on any sort of regular basis. But as I kept writing…nothing much was happening with Carmen. She was just drinking away, going to her parties and avoiding topics about class. I finally realized that I couldn't just keep typing away without giving her a conclusion. So I thought about it, and thought about it…and thought about it. I really didn't see it going anywhere. How could I have Carmen living on campus but not attending class, and her roommate not noticing anything was wrong? I tried a few different scenarios, but nothing really stuck with me.
So I decided to forgo that idea. I switched it around, and gave shy and studious Hannah a love interest. And I love this plot line much more than Carmen's! I've had a blast writing about Hannah's dates, and it really gave my story a much needed boost – in my opinion. So now I just have those rewrites to look forward to. When I go back and start revising, I need to cut all of Carmen's scenes and place a few tidbits about Hannah in there. I also know just from writing the first draft that there are additional scenes I will need to write to help develop a few characters, and hopefully by cutting those Carmen scenes I will get back the needed word count to make this happen.
Journey to book number two has been a lot of fun. I'm super busy right now with Chick Lit Plus, CLP Blog Tours, freelance editing, and now writing for the SheKnows Book Lounge, but I carve out little pieces of time Monday-Friday to write. Sometimes it's only a 300 word day, sometimes it's closer to my usual 2,000. I'm on the ending scenes right now, and it's a pretty intense part of the book. I can't wait for the first draft to be completed! After I do some rewrites I'm going to be asking if any beta readers out there want to give it a look through. I will keep posting a few updates throughout, and I'm getting pretty close to revealing the title :) I'm having a great time writing Alex's story, and I hope to share it with everyone soon!

Author Guest Post: Laurel Gans

[image error] I wrote my novel, Waitlisted, during my year off between college and graduate school. I was absolutely thrilled when I finished it in August of 2010—just weeks before school was to begin.  I was so proud to have my completed book saved on my little computer.  I figured one day when I had some free time I would probably self-publish it. But until then, I had to focus on school.
Winter quarter was rough to say the least and I needed a fun escape to keep me sane. To cheer myself up I began researching editors, agents and publishers. I sent out a few query letters using the book's original title, Pre-Dent. After many, many rejections, I went back to my original plan-- find a good freelance editor and self-publish.  
My mom had a patient who suggested I try to find an editor with the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research. (http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/) In May 2011 I won a partial evaluation of my manuscript by Thalia S. Child (also writes under the names Sue Swift and Suz deMello).
I was concerned agents didn't want my book because the title Pre-Dent made it seem like it was only for pre-dental and dental students. I decided to send the book out for the first time ever under the more generic title, Waitlisted.  I sent over the first few chapters and Thalia wrote me back right away. She enjoyed the partial and wanted me to read a little on editing, make a couple changes to the book, then send over the complete manuscript. At that time, summer quarter was in full swing and I was really supposed to be studying. However, I gladly blew off school to finish up my manuscript. 
I was moving out of my old apartment the day I heard back from Thalia. I was sitting in my nearly vacant apartment as two very large men carried my couches away when I got the e-mail. She loved the manuscript and wanted to purchase it!
I had to call everybody in the family!  My mom and dad were overjoyed and I've never heard my grandma sound so thrilled before. My sister made the news her Facebook status and people I hadn't talked to in years were kind enough to express their excitement. 
My brothers and sisters were in such a good mood they didn't complain about carrying my stuff up to my new third floor walk-up. After a long day of unpacking, my siblings and I went to dinner to celebrate my new apartment and, of course, my new book.
 **Everyone who leaves a comment on Laurel's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Waitlisted before February 20 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**
Author Bio:
 
Laurel Gans is a graduate of Bowling Green State University where she studied Spanish. She is currently a dental student at The Ohio State University with her twin sister, Stephanie. She enjoys writing, water sports and spending time with her family and friends. 
Connect with Laurel & Buy the Book!
http://www.facebook.com/WaitlistedtheNovel http://www.amazon.com/Waitlisted-ebook/dp/B005SWDRBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327636348&sr=8-1 https://twitter.com/#!/laurelgans http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waitlisted-laurel-gans/1106367627 http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Waitlisted/book-VmzJN_KQGE-HoxG_fxnLAg/page1.html http://www.amazon.co.uk/Waitlisted-ebook/dp/B005SWDRBE http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-waitlisted-610322-177.html



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