Racheal (Wade) Renwick's Blog, page 5

Just for Kicks Release Day Giveaways

Just for Kicks, my debut novel, comes out July 17th. That’s only 11 more days! And I have a treat for all of you. Just for Kicks will have trading cards! Eight cards to collect in total, to be exact. So, I will reveal a new card each day, leading up to the release of my book. And each day you will have a chance to win that card.

The start of the giveaway will be ….. my birthday: July 10th! Ha! Look at that! And it will end on the book’s release date: July 17th in which I will not only reveal, and giveaway, the last card but as well as a copy of Just for Kicks! Official rules and Giveaway information is soon to follow. So stayed tune and keep an eye out for contest’s deets! 

Making Fiction Realistic

Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? After all, Fiction is called Fiction because its fake. Nothing is based on real accounts or people. But think of it this way: if your reader believes your story and characters they’ll eat it up - love it - want to read it again and again and tell their friends.You want your readers to feel what the characters feel, believe that elves and witches exist in the story’s world, and have them wanting to know how it all ends. And the only way you can achieve this, is by making your fictional story realistic. 

When you’re writing, think about your characters. Is that how people really act? Does every teen really talk like they’re proper ladies and gents? Do  people really fall in love on day one and stay together for the rest of their lives? Is every teen 16? Is every boy troubled? Every girl gorgeous or awkward? Every child orphaned? No. The answer is none of the above. Not everyone is the same, so please PLEASE refrain from cliche’ characters and make them REAL.

Another way to make your story realistic, is giving the reader a clear picture of your world. It’s hard for a reader to get into a novel when they can’t even picture this amazingly epic world filled with dragons you’ve created. You can’t just make it SOUND COOL, it has to BE COOL. I want to see the scales on the dragon, and feel the whipping wind and jagged edges or rocky cliffs. I want you to make me believe that there is a world filled with fire-breathing beasts and it is glorious! 

The most obvious, but mostly forgotten, tip I can offer to make your fiction realistic, is to believe in yourself and story. Immerse yourself in the words and worlds and the story, believe it and live it and pour your damn heart out on the pages. Don’t be afraid to make it everything it can be. Don’t be afraid to write the truth in the story.

I could point out the many cliche’s in writing and downfalls in the realism of fiction, but I have a cup of hot coffee calling my name. And I’m sure you all have writing needing to be done. With that, I’ll leave you with a wrap up: Be confident, believe what you’re writing, and then make me believe it too. 

 

"For him, it wasn’t the alcohol that made his stomach churn and want to evacuate its contents. It was..."

“For him, it wasn’t the alcohol that made his stomach churn and want to evacuate its contents. It was the thought of the act alone. Becoming the person he despised most by drinking his sorrows away. Perhaps he was self-destructive. Or maybe he was just stupid. But Harmon drank anyway, and often, bringing himself closer to his darkest fear each day.”

- Second Breath

An Early ARC review: Just for Kicks

My first review is out and I’m very satisfied with it. Author Joshua Bellin gives his take on Just for Kicks.

http://bellsyells.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-just-for-kicks-by-racheal-renwick.html?spref=tw

Why I Signed with an LGBT Publisher

When people ask me who my publisher is, they generally have never heard of Prizm Books. Most Small presses are this way - and that goes especially for their imprints. So when I tell them that Prizm is an imprint of Torquere (a LGBT publisher) they are usually confused. 

Them: “Oh, is your book LGBT? I didn’t get that impression."

Me: “No, it’s not."

*Blank Stare* 

It may sound odd, even confusing. I touched on this briefly, before, but I think it deserves a better explanation. 

When I queried my book, Prizm Books wasn’t the only company interested in my work. But I chose them. I admit I was wary - simply because they specialize in LGBT - even their reviewers only reviewed LGBT. They of course were expanding - trying to pick up some mainstream YA, living up to their motto: “Stories for every young adult under the rainbow." And I had a good feeling. That’s what it really came down to. I loved what Kristi Boulware - the GM - had to say about the company and  their plans for my book. 

I am a HUGE supporter of the LGBT community and loved that they were trying to get books in the hands of those who were essentially “left out". Sure, they could have just stuck with mainstream YA and tried to get on board with the trend train - but that’s not what they wanted. That’s not what they believed in. And to see a company that cared more about their mission than their pay checks, really resonated with me. 

I knew then that my book would be cared for. Loved. Appreciated. 

If I had to make the choice over again, I would sign with Prizm - no doubt. Because, sometimes, it’s not about which company is going to make you the most money. But which company will love your story as much as you do, and want to see it (and you) go far. And with hard work, who says you can’t be just as successful here than there? 

In the end, your sales will depend on YOU. Not your publisher. As long as you have a good book and the determination, you can’t possibly lose. 

Just for Kicks Trading Cards

Now that Just for Kicks has a cover (that’s totally top secret right now), I started making trading cards for the characters. There are eight cards total, meaning eight different Supers! These cards will be part of my swag in my Cover Release Giveaway. 

Even if you don’t win a set of cards, they will be available at a cheap price for those who want them. Or get them for free if you happen to live in the Portland area! Just stop by at a signing and get any two for free. 

Here’s a sneak peek at the back of one of the cards:

Please follow me and read my story. I'm in 9th grade right now and I want to be a writer when I graduate but I need people to read my story. I want to hear their opinion on it, because I know that when I read something I feel like the author could have don

Hi there! 

First off, I just want to commend you on writing a novel in the first place, even if you haven’t finished it. That’s a monumental task that most adults find hard to do; and you’re only a Freshman in High School! Congrats to you! :)

There are many places you can go and gain feedback on your writing, if you’d like. Before I became published, I joined a writing web site. These sites are fantastic to show off your writing and get some honest opinions, as well as help, from other writers to better your manuscript. Figment, for example, is great for teens just starting out or writing short stories and poems. Then, there’s also Wattpad - for all ages and types of writers. Both sites host writing contests frequently as well. I was, and am, on Authonomy. In my opinion, it’s one of the better sites to join. The writers there are intelligent and helpful, honest and quite insightful. 

If you would personally like to gain MY opinion on your writing (which I am VERY flattered, by the way) find me on Authonomy and post your story. I am always willing to help an aspiring writer. :) 

Racheal’s Authonomy Profile

Keep writing and never stop improving. 

Racheal

Please follow me and read my story. I'm in 9th grade right now and I want to be a writer when I graduate but I need people to read my story. I want to hear their opinion on it, because I know that when I read something I feel like the author could have don

Hi there! 

First off, I just want to commend you on writing a novel in the first place, even if you haven’t finished it. That’s a monumental task that most adults find hard to do; and you’re only a Freshman in High School! Congrats to you! :)

There are many places you can go and gain feedback on your writing, if you’d like. Before I became published, I joined a writing web site. These sites are fantastic to show off your writing and get some honest opinions, as well as help, from other writers to better your manuscript. Figment, for example, is great for teens just starting out or writing short stories and poems. Then, there’s also Wattpad - for all ages and types of writers. Both sites host writing contests frequently as well. I was, and am, on Authonomy. In my opinion, it’s one of the better sites to join. The writers there are intelligent and helpful, honest and quite insightful. 

If you would personally like to gain MY opinion on your writing (which I am VERY flattered, by the way) find me on Authonomy and post your story. I am always willing to help an aspiring writer. :) 

Racheal’s Authonomy Profile

Keep writing and never stop improving. 

Racheal

Please follow me and read my story. I'm in 9th grade right now and I want to be a writer when I graduate but I need people to read my story. I want to hear their opinion on it, because I know that when I read something I feel like the author could have don

Hi there! 

First off, I just want to commend you on writing a novel in the first place, even if you haven’t finished it. That’s a monumental task that most adults find hard to do; and you’re only a Freshman in High School! Congrats to you! :)

There are many places you can go and gain feedback on your writing, if you’d like. Before I became published, I joined a writing web site. These sites are fantastic to show off your writing and get some honest opinions, as well as help, from other writers to better your manuscript. Figment, for example, is great for teens just starting out or writing short stories and poems. Then, there’s also Wattpad - for all ages and types of writers. Both sites host writing contests frequently as well. I was, and am, on Authonomy. In my opinion, it’s one of the better sites to join. The writers there are intelligent and helpful, honest and quite insightful. 

If you would personally like to gain MY opinion on your writing (which I am VERY flattered, by the way) find me on Authonomy and post your story. I am always willing to help an aspiring writer. :) 

Racheal’s Authonomy Profile

Keep writing and never stop improving. 

Racheal

Please follow me and read my story. I'm in 9th grade right now and I want to be a writer when I graduate but I need people to read my story. I want to hear their opinion on it, because I know that when I read something I feel like the author could have don

Hi there! 

First off, I just want to commend you on writing a novel in the first place, even if you haven’t finished it. That’s a monumental task that most adults find hard to do; and you’re only a Freshman in High School! Congrats to you! :)

There are many places you can go and gain feedback on your writing, if you’d like. Before I became published, I joined a writing web site. These sites are fantastic to show off your writing and get some honest opinions, as well as help, from other writers to better your manuscript. Figment, for example, is great for teens just starting out or writing short stories and poems. Then, there’s also Wattpad - for all ages and types of writers. Both sites host writing contests frequently as well. I was, and am, on Authonomy. In my opinion, it’s one of the better sites to join. The writers there are intelligent and helpful, honest and quite insightful. 

If you would personally like to gain MY opinion on your writing (which I am VERY flattered, by the way) find me on Authonomy and post your story. I am always willing to help an aspiring writer. :) 

Racheal’s Authonomy Profile

Keep writing and never stop improving. 

Racheal