Laura Heffernan's Blog, page 18
September 21, 2016
PITCHSLAM 8. Young Adult Historical Fiction: BEYOND THE WHITE WALL
Title: BEYOND THE WHITE WALL
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Word Count: 72,000.
Special Question: If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why? Edie would be Luke, struggling to find her identity and purpose in spite of her blindly obedient and ruthless father.
35 Word Pitch: Fifteen-year-old Edith von Helldorf, the artistic and headstrong daughter of the Auschwitz Commandant, must defy her father to save the imprisoned Jewish girl she's grown to love.
First 250 Words:
“Edith von Helldorf, stop scratching.”
With my yellow-blonde hair tied up in a fancy knot (thanks for that, Mother), I could feel Frau Kimmelschmidt’s venomous hiss on the back of my neck. She must have noticed my fidgeting in the pew; we were not supposed to call attention to ourselves during Morning Prayer.
Frau Kimmelschmidt clearly did not understand the worst part about celebrating the Führer’s birthday in school—our mandate to wear the itchiest woolen skirts in history.
I glanced back to offer a wrinkle-nosed grin and whisper of apology. She would not have wanted to hear my excuse, though perhaps if she peeked over my shoulder, she could see the red-raw self-inflicted scratch wounds on my upper knees and understand. Not that I had ever seen a flicker of empathy on our house leader’s face in the six-years I’d attended Waldorf Academy, but I would have appreciated an acknowledgement that I at least followed directions to wear the damned thing. Particularly because following directions had never been my strong suit.
Beside me, Trudy Eicher trembled, laughter bubbling in her throat. I nudged her with my elbow. Some best friend.
The organist—a senior with an underbite who valiantly failed to tutor me in Latin the year before—began her processional and we stood, facing the aisle. As we sang our school song, three uniformed senior boys marched past carrying flags--our Waldorf Academy flag, followed by our country’s German flag, and lastly, the flag of the Hitler Jugend, the Hitler Youth movement.
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Word Count: 72,000.
Special Question: If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why? Edie would be Luke, struggling to find her identity and purpose in spite of her blindly obedient and ruthless father.
35 Word Pitch: Fifteen-year-old Edith von Helldorf, the artistic and headstrong daughter of the Auschwitz Commandant, must defy her father to save the imprisoned Jewish girl she's grown to love.
First 250 Words:
“Edith von Helldorf, stop scratching.”
With my yellow-blonde hair tied up in a fancy knot (thanks for that, Mother), I could feel Frau Kimmelschmidt’s venomous hiss on the back of my neck. She must have noticed my fidgeting in the pew; we were not supposed to call attention to ourselves during Morning Prayer.
Frau Kimmelschmidt clearly did not understand the worst part about celebrating the Führer’s birthday in school—our mandate to wear the itchiest woolen skirts in history.
I glanced back to offer a wrinkle-nosed grin and whisper of apology. She would not have wanted to hear my excuse, though perhaps if she peeked over my shoulder, she could see the red-raw self-inflicted scratch wounds on my upper knees and understand. Not that I had ever seen a flicker of empathy on our house leader’s face in the six-years I’d attended Waldorf Academy, but I would have appreciated an acknowledgement that I at least followed directions to wear the damned thing. Particularly because following directions had never been my strong suit.
Beside me, Trudy Eicher trembled, laughter bubbling in her throat. I nudged her with my elbow. Some best friend.
The organist—a senior with an underbite who valiantly failed to tutor me in Latin the year before—began her processional and we stood, facing the aisle. As we sang our school song, three uniformed senior boys marched past carrying flags--our Waldorf Academy flag, followed by our country’s German flag, and lastly, the flag of the Hitler Jugend, the Hitler Youth movement.
PITCHSLAM 9. Young Adult Science Fiction: INTERGALACTIC THISTLE
Title: INTERGALACTIC THISTLE
Genre: YA Space Opera Word Count: 69,000
Special Question: If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why?
Heir to a massive intergalactic Viking empire, Ingrid “Thistle” Angsar III would choose to be Padmé Amidala in hopes of gleaning some of Amidala’s incomparable leadership skills (not to mention her total and complete badassery).
35 Word Pitch:16-year-old Ingrid “Thistle” Angsar III dreams of becoming an intergalactically-renowned chef, but when evil extraterrestrials kidnap her royal parents, it’s up to Thistle to save the galaxy and the future of her kingdom.
First 250 Words:
Garlic.
She needed garlic.
And lots of it.
Thistle stood at the counter in Chimera Intergalactic Space Station’s expansive main kitchen, analyzing the flavors on her tongue. Butter, always. Shallots, present. Paprika – just a dash! But garlic, the star of her culinary show, was late for curtain call.
“Chef Clarence, would you please pass the garlic?”
The burly Executive Chef, her culinary mentor and part-time cheerleader, did as she asked. “You got it, little miss.”
Using a steel bladed knife, Thistle expertly peeled the garlic’s flaky skin. Speckled with brightly colored med-strips from minor kitchen injuries, her swift chef’s hands deftly minced the fragrant ingredient, then slid the tiny portions off her blade and into the swirling pot on the stove before her. The glaze gurgled and popped as Thistle stirred. The top-of-the-line stainless steel oven contained a gourmet cut of inaas, an avian delicacy from planet Raaghou. The entrée roasted happily away, awaiting the savory butter finish.
“Garlic and butter. ‘Ain’t nothin’ in this galaxy, or any other, that’s much tastier than that,’” Thistle said, imitating Chef Clarence’s signature drawl from their shared home planet, Earth. The native Texan wasn’t Viking by blood –unlike Thistle– but for the past few years he’d served the Empire with pride.
“Somebody awfully smart must’ve taught you that, little miss.” He smiled.
Giggling, Thistle removed a clean basting brush from its drawer and whirled it in her buttery glaze, then bent as she opened the oven door and slathered a generous coating onto her sizzling entrée.
Genre: YA Space Opera Word Count: 69,000
Special Question: If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why?
Heir to a massive intergalactic Viking empire, Ingrid “Thistle” Angsar III would choose to be Padmé Amidala in hopes of gleaning some of Amidala’s incomparable leadership skills (not to mention her total and complete badassery).
35 Word Pitch:16-year-old Ingrid “Thistle” Angsar III dreams of becoming an intergalactically-renowned chef, but when evil extraterrestrials kidnap her royal parents, it’s up to Thistle to save the galaxy and the future of her kingdom.
First 250 Words:
Garlic.
She needed garlic.
And lots of it.
Thistle stood at the counter in Chimera Intergalactic Space Station’s expansive main kitchen, analyzing the flavors on her tongue. Butter, always. Shallots, present. Paprika – just a dash! But garlic, the star of her culinary show, was late for curtain call.
“Chef Clarence, would you please pass the garlic?”
The burly Executive Chef, her culinary mentor and part-time cheerleader, did as she asked. “You got it, little miss.”
Using a steel bladed knife, Thistle expertly peeled the garlic’s flaky skin. Speckled with brightly colored med-strips from minor kitchen injuries, her swift chef’s hands deftly minced the fragrant ingredient, then slid the tiny portions off her blade and into the swirling pot on the stove before her. The glaze gurgled and popped as Thistle stirred. The top-of-the-line stainless steel oven contained a gourmet cut of inaas, an avian delicacy from planet Raaghou. The entrée roasted happily away, awaiting the savory butter finish.
“Garlic and butter. ‘Ain’t nothin’ in this galaxy, or any other, that’s much tastier than that,’” Thistle said, imitating Chef Clarence’s signature drawl from their shared home planet, Earth. The native Texan wasn’t Viking by blood –unlike Thistle– but for the past few years he’d served the Empire with pride.
“Somebody awfully smart must’ve taught you that, little miss.” He smiled.
Giggling, Thistle removed a clean basting brush from its drawer and whirled it in her buttery glaze, then bent as she opened the oven door and slathered a generous coating onto her sizzling entrée.
September 13, 2016
The Revenge of The Writers
Is the force strong with us?
We've spent the past week critiquing you, so now that you've read our comments, it's time to respond. I unfortunately don't have anything to post (the downside of working on a sequel), so I'm sharing Kara's pitch and first 250. In the comments, choose an ANONYMOUS name and let us know what you think. Feel free to pick something Star Wars-y.
See more pitches and first pages: Kimberly Vanderhorst, Cindy Wilson, Jamie Corrigan.
Title: RESETGenre: YA SFWord Count: 80,000
If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why? Lia would choose to be Rey. Like Rey, she has been operating on her own for a long time, and the concept of working with others to achieve a goal is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Pitch:When the universe resets itself, Lia has a chance to save her sister and a boy who may grow up to cure cancer. But someone is making sure she can’t save them both.
First 250:
Sometimes I feel like the universe should have a rule that bad news doesn’t arrive during breakfast. The universe does have rules; rules that it warps to suit its own purposes. And no one knows this better than me.
Bad news, however, has no rules about when it will or will not arrive. So of course, the news of Jay’s murder came while I was eating a bowl of Rice Krispies and pretending not to hear my parents’ argument.
“It’s a twelve hour drive to St. Agabus,” my mom said. “I don’t want to do it by myself.”
“Lia will be with you,” Dad countered. “You’ll be fine.”
Mom’s hands went in the air. “On the way there, Chris. It’s still twelve hours back by myself.”
It was the day before I could finally escape what was left of my family. I decided to go to college at St. Agabus precisely because it was twelve hours from Chatwick Heights, and I wouldn’t be expected to come home often.
“I can’t take off work with such late notice, Rachel. You know that I’m under a lot of pressure.” Dad slapped peanut butter on a slice of bread harder than strictly necessary.
“We have been planning this for months!” She was close to shouting. I bent over my bowl and flipped through Facebook on my phone. I wasn’t the only one headed for college the next day; lots of my former classmates were posting teary goodbye messages on everyone’s walls.
We've spent the past week critiquing you, so now that you've read our comments, it's time to respond. I unfortunately don't have anything to post (the downside of working on a sequel), so I'm sharing Kara's pitch and first 250. In the comments, choose an ANONYMOUS name and let us know what you think. Feel free to pick something Star Wars-y.
See more pitches and first pages: Kimberly Vanderhorst, Cindy Wilson, Jamie Corrigan.
Title: RESETGenre: YA SFWord Count: 80,000
If your main character could be any Star Wars character, who would they choose and why? Lia would choose to be Rey. Like Rey, she has been operating on her own for a long time, and the concept of working with others to achieve a goal is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Pitch:When the universe resets itself, Lia has a chance to save her sister and a boy who may grow up to cure cancer. But someone is making sure she can’t save them both.
First 250:
Sometimes I feel like the universe should have a rule that bad news doesn’t arrive during breakfast. The universe does have rules; rules that it warps to suit its own purposes. And no one knows this better than me.
Bad news, however, has no rules about when it will or will not arrive. So of course, the news of Jay’s murder came while I was eating a bowl of Rice Krispies and pretending not to hear my parents’ argument.
“It’s a twelve hour drive to St. Agabus,” my mom said. “I don’t want to do it by myself.”
“Lia will be with you,” Dad countered. “You’ll be fine.”
Mom’s hands went in the air. “On the way there, Chris. It’s still twelve hours back by myself.”
It was the day before I could finally escape what was left of my family. I decided to go to college at St. Agabus precisely because it was twelve hours from Chatwick Heights, and I wouldn’t be expected to come home often.
“I can’t take off work with such late notice, Rachel. You know that I’m under a lot of pressure.” Dad slapped peanut butter on a slice of bread harder than strictly necessary.
“We have been planning this for months!” She was close to shouting. I bent over my bowl and flipped through Facebook on my phone. I wasn’t the only one headed for college the next day; lots of my former classmates were posting teary goodbye messages on everyone’s walls.
September 6, 2016
We Need to Do Better: Receiving Sensitivity Feedback
This entire blog can be summed up by a quote from one of my favorite books, Confessions of a Shopaholic: "If you bother to ask someone's advice, then bother to listen to it."
One of the manuscripts I recently completed is about the relationship between a trans woman and a demisexual woman. I did a lot of research before writing this book: investigating what goes into gender reassignment surgery, reviewing my notes from a class I took on gender and sexuality in college, pulling from my own experiences with trans people in my life. I spent more time drafting this manuscript than the three before it combined. But since I really wanted to get things right, once I finished, I went on the lookout for sensitivity readers. I'm not saying this to get a pat on the back. I'm telling you because of the response I got from one of my readers, who I'll call A.
For the most part, A offered very helpful insights about little things. Microaggressions, words that are such a part of common vernacular that I didn't realize they're offensive (to people of all minorities), etc. But there was one scene A very strongly objected to. It happens to be a very important scene that set off a chain of events throughout the plot.
I'll be 100% honest. My initial, gut reaction was "My other sensitivity readers didn't have a problem with this scene." But I didn't say that, because A is a person with experiences and opinions that do not belong to anyone else. Instead, I slept on it. I googled. The next morning, I called B, a good friend and gay writer. I explained the situation and asked him for advice. His immediate reaction was, "A is being overly sensitive." We spent an hour on the phone talking about whether I needed to change anything. We discussed alternatives to the scene as written. I read him A's comments. As soon as we realized that I was talking him into seeing A's point of view, we both knew the scene had to be changed.
When I told A that I'd rewritten the scene, the response I got completely overwhelmed me. A was extremely moved and grateful that I listened to the feedback I received and implemented it. And that made me sad. The person I am asking to help me should not be astounded that I accepted the advice given. No one should feel the need to thank me for not disregarding an opinion I asked for in the first place. I started to wonder how many people request sensitivity reads and then ignore what they're told or respond negatively. From what I can tell, it's too many. Far too many. We need to do better, cishet white people.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with another friend who no longer does sensitivity reads because the response she received on her first one was so negative. I'm not going to share her experience, but when she elaborated, I couldn't believe anyone would be so rude to someone who was doing them a favor (or providing a paid service, which many sensitivity readers do). Personally, I can't imagine paying for advice and then tossing it out the window. Yes, it's your manuscript, and you can make it wrong if you want to (you shouldn't, but if that's your prerogative, just don't expect me to read your book). But don't be a dick about rejecting the very advice you sought in the first place. We need to do better.
Don't:
Email back immediately when you disagree with feedback.Invalidate the other person's experience by saying they're "wrong" or they don't know what they're talking about.Insist that there isn't anything problematic in your work because no one else pointed it out. Devalue their time by disregarding things out of hand.Pick only the feedback that affirms what you wanted to do, anyway, and only implement that.Do:
Think about things. Mull it over.Get a second opinion. If it differs, get a third. Try to at least reach a point where you understand the reason you got the feedback, even if you still disagree with it.Be polite and respectful.Say "thank you." Even if you're not going to make the changes, this person gave you their time and energy and that has value.
Our books need to reflect the world around us, and when we get that world wrong, it's up to us to fix it. Sensitivity readers are not your mom or your best friend. They're not here to tell you what you did right. Their job is to point out issues. We need to understand that if we want to become better writers who write diverse characters. And we should want to be better writers who write books with diverse characters. There's always room for improvement. We need to do better.
One of the manuscripts I recently completed is about the relationship between a trans woman and a demisexual woman. I did a lot of research before writing this book: investigating what goes into gender reassignment surgery, reviewing my notes from a class I took on gender and sexuality in college, pulling from my own experiences with trans people in my life. I spent more time drafting this manuscript than the three before it combined. But since I really wanted to get things right, once I finished, I went on the lookout for sensitivity readers. I'm not saying this to get a pat on the back. I'm telling you because of the response I got from one of my readers, who I'll call A.
For the most part, A offered very helpful insights about little things. Microaggressions, words that are such a part of common vernacular that I didn't realize they're offensive (to people of all minorities), etc. But there was one scene A very strongly objected to. It happens to be a very important scene that set off a chain of events throughout the plot.
I'll be 100% honest. My initial, gut reaction was "My other sensitivity readers didn't have a problem with this scene." But I didn't say that, because A is a person with experiences and opinions that do not belong to anyone else. Instead, I slept on it. I googled. The next morning, I called B, a good friend and gay writer. I explained the situation and asked him for advice. His immediate reaction was, "A is being overly sensitive." We spent an hour on the phone talking about whether I needed to change anything. We discussed alternatives to the scene as written. I read him A's comments. As soon as we realized that I was talking him into seeing A's point of view, we both knew the scene had to be changed.
When I told A that I'd rewritten the scene, the response I got completely overwhelmed me. A was extremely moved and grateful that I listened to the feedback I received and implemented it. And that made me sad. The person I am asking to help me should not be astounded that I accepted the advice given. No one should feel the need to thank me for not disregarding an opinion I asked for in the first place. I started to wonder how many people request sensitivity reads and then ignore what they're told or respond negatively. From what I can tell, it's too many. Far too many. We need to do better, cishet white people.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with another friend who no longer does sensitivity reads because the response she received on her first one was so negative. I'm not going to share her experience, but when she elaborated, I couldn't believe anyone would be so rude to someone who was doing them a favor (or providing a paid service, which many sensitivity readers do). Personally, I can't imagine paying for advice and then tossing it out the window. Yes, it's your manuscript, and you can make it wrong if you want to (you shouldn't, but if that's your prerogative, just don't expect me to read your book). But don't be a dick about rejecting the very advice you sought in the first place. We need to do better.
Don't:
Email back immediately when you disagree with feedback.Invalidate the other person's experience by saying they're "wrong" or they don't know what they're talking about.Insist that there isn't anything problematic in your work because no one else pointed it out. Devalue their time by disregarding things out of hand.Pick only the feedback that affirms what you wanted to do, anyway, and only implement that.Do:
Think about things. Mull it over.Get a second opinion. If it differs, get a third. Try to at least reach a point where you understand the reason you got the feedback, even if you still disagree with it.Be polite and respectful.Say "thank you." Even if you're not going to make the changes, this person gave you their time and energy and that has value.
Our books need to reflect the world around us, and when we get that world wrong, it's up to us to fix it. Sensitivity readers are not your mom or your best friend. They're not here to tell you what you did right. Their job is to point out issues. We need to understand that if we want to become better writers who write diverse characters. And we should want to be better writers who write books with diverse characters. There's always room for improvement. We need to do better.
We Need to Do Better: Responding to Sensitivity Feedback
This entire blog can be summed up by a quote from one of my favorite books, Confessions of a Shopaholic: "If you bother to ask someone's advice, then bother to listen to it."
One of the manuscripts I recently completed is about the relationship between a trans woman and a demisexual woman. I did a lot of research before writing this book: investigating what goes into gender reassignment surgery, reviewing my notes from a class I took on gender and sexuality in college, pulling from my own experiences with trans people in my life. I spent more time drafting this manuscript than the three before it combined. But since I really wanted to get things right, once I finished, I went on the lookout for sensitivity readers. I'm not saying this to get a pat on the back. I'm telling you because of the response I got from one of my readers, who I'll call A.
For the most part, A offered very helpful insights about little things. Microaggressions, words that are such a part of common vernacular that I didn't realize they're offensive (to people of all minorities), etc. But there was one scene A very strongly objected to. It happens to be a very important scene that set off a chain of events throughout the plot.
I'll be 100% honest. My initial, gut reaction was "My other sensitivity readers didn't have a problem with this scene." But I didn't say that, because A is a person with experiences and opinions that do not belong to anyone else. Instead, I slept on it. I googled. The next morning, I called B, a good friend and gay writer. I explained the situation and asked him for advice. His immediate reaction was, "A is being overly sensitive." We spent an hour on the phone talking about whether I needed to change anything. We discussed alternatives to the scene as written. I read him A's comments. As soon as we realized that I was talking him into seeing A's point of view, we both knew the scene had to be changed.
When I told A that I'd rewritten the scene, the response I got completely overwhelmed me. A was extremely moved and grateful that I listened to the feedback I received and implemented it. And that made me sad. The person I am asking to help me should not be astounded that I accepted the advice given. No one should feel the need to thank me for not disregarding an opinion I asked for in the first place. I started to wonder how many people request sensitivity reads and then ignore what they're told or respond negatively. From what I can tell, it's too many. Far too many. We need to do better, cishet white people.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with another friend who no longer does sensitivity reads because the response she received on her first one was so negative. I'm not going to share her experience, but when she elaborated, I couldn't believe anyone would be so rude to someone who was doing them a favor (or providing a paid service, which many sensitivity readers do). Personally, I can't imagine paying for advice and then tossing it out the window. Yes, it's your manuscript, and you can make it wrong if you want to (you shouldn't, but if that's your prerogative, just don't expect me to read your book). But don't be a dick about rejecting the very advice you sought in the first place. We need to do better.
Don't:
Email back immediately when you disagree with feedback.Invalidate the other person's experience by saying they're "wrong" or they don't know what they're talking about.Insist that there isn't anything problematic in your work because no one else pointed it out. Devalue their time by disregarding things out of hand.Pick only the feedback that affirms what you wanted to do, anyway, and only implement that.Do:
Think about things. Mull it over.Get a second opinion. If it differs, get a third. Try to at least reach a point where you understand the reason you got the feedback, even if you still disagree with it.Be polite and respectful.Say "thank you." Even if you're not going to make the changes, this person gave you their time and energy and that has value.
Our books need to reflect the world around us, and when we get that world wrong, it's up to us to fix it. Sensitivity readers are not your mom or your best friend. They're not here to tell you what you did right. Their job is to point out issues. We need to understand that if we want to become better writers who write diverse characters. And we should want to be better writers who write books with diverse characters. There's always room for improvement. We need to do better.
One of the manuscripts I recently completed is about the relationship between a trans woman and a demisexual woman. I did a lot of research before writing this book: investigating what goes into gender reassignment surgery, reviewing my notes from a class I took on gender and sexuality in college, pulling from my own experiences with trans people in my life. I spent more time drafting this manuscript than the three before it combined. But since I really wanted to get things right, once I finished, I went on the lookout for sensitivity readers. I'm not saying this to get a pat on the back. I'm telling you because of the response I got from one of my readers, who I'll call A.
For the most part, A offered very helpful insights about little things. Microaggressions, words that are such a part of common vernacular that I didn't realize they're offensive (to people of all minorities), etc. But there was one scene A very strongly objected to. It happens to be a very important scene that set off a chain of events throughout the plot.
I'll be 100% honest. My initial, gut reaction was "My other sensitivity readers didn't have a problem with this scene." But I didn't say that, because A is a person with experiences and opinions that do not belong to anyone else. Instead, I slept on it. I googled. The next morning, I called B, a good friend and gay writer. I explained the situation and asked him for advice. His immediate reaction was, "A is being overly sensitive." We spent an hour on the phone talking about whether I needed to change anything. We discussed alternatives to the scene as written. I read him A's comments. As soon as we realized that I was talking him into seeing A's point of view, we both knew the scene had to be changed.
When I told A that I'd rewritten the scene, the response I got completely overwhelmed me. A was extremely moved and grateful that I listened to the feedback I received and implemented it. And that made me sad. The person I am asking to help me should not be astounded that I accepted the advice given. No one should feel the need to thank me for not disregarding an opinion I asked for in the first place. I started to wonder how many people request sensitivity reads and then ignore what they're told or respond negatively. From what I can tell, it's too many. Far too many. We need to do better, cishet white people.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with another friend who no longer does sensitivity reads because the response she received on her first one was so negative. I'm not going to share her experience, but when she elaborated, I couldn't believe anyone would be so rude to someone who was doing them a favor (or providing a paid service, which many sensitivity readers do). Personally, I can't imagine paying for advice and then tossing it out the window. Yes, it's your manuscript, and you can make it wrong if you want to (you shouldn't, but if that's your prerogative, just don't expect me to read your book). But don't be a dick about rejecting the very advice you sought in the first place. We need to do better.
Don't:
Email back immediately when you disagree with feedback.Invalidate the other person's experience by saying they're "wrong" or they don't know what they're talking about.Insist that there isn't anything problematic in your work because no one else pointed it out. Devalue their time by disregarding things out of hand.Pick only the feedback that affirms what you wanted to do, anyway, and only implement that.Do:
Think about things. Mull it over.Get a second opinion. If it differs, get a third. Try to at least reach a point where you understand the reason you got the feedback, even if you still disagree with it.Be polite and respectful.Say "thank you." Even if you're not going to make the changes, this person gave you their time and energy and that has value.
Our books need to reflect the world around us, and when we get that world wrong, it's up to us to fix it. Sensitivity readers are not your mom or your best friend. They're not here to tell you what you did right. Their job is to point out issues. We need to understand that if we want to become better writers who write diverse characters. And we should want to be better writers who write books with diverse characters. There's always room for improvement. We need to do better.
September 1, 2016
A New Nightmare
One...Two...We are coming for you.Three...Four...There will be a slush war.Five...Six...Get your query fixed.Seven...Eight...Make your first page great.Nine...Ten...Yes, we're at it again.
Nightmare on Query Street
The agents are ready.... are you?
Face your Fear October 14, 2016
August 29, 2016
How to Write a Romance
One thing I noticed reading my PitchWars subs this year (and talking to other mentors) was how many entries were submitted under the wrong genre. Personally, I was accepting both women's fiction and romance, so it's not the end of the world when an entry said the wrong one. However, I talked to some mentors who only were accepting romance, and they also got quite a few entries that said romance-but were really woman's fiction. I have a very general blog I wrote a couple of years ago with some tips, but that's mostly geared at identifying the manuscript you have. What I really want to talk about today is
HOW TO WRITE A ROMANCE*
Romance has specific tropes. People who read genre romance regularly should notice the same story structure, the same ideas, etc. Books that do not follow these basic guidelines generally are not a romance, no matter how romantic the subplot is.
Why does it matter? It's true, many editors who accept women's fiction or romance accept both. An editor who loves your book is going to help you edit it a certain way, and they're allowed to call it whatever they want after they're done. But you still need to know how to describe your book. For one thing there are a lot of agents who only accept one or the other. For another, WF queries are different from romance queries and your reader needs to know what to expect when they start to read your pages. So, let's take a look at these tropes, using examples from a book I just made up, Stella Wrecks Everything.The main characters meet early on. In recent years, this winds up being in Chapter 1 a lot of the time (sometimes on page one). That's not absolutely required, but if I get to page 50 of your manuscript and the main characters have not yet met, your book is probably not a romance.The first kiss occurs roughly within the first 25% of the book. It can be a short kiss, a stolen kiss, whatever. But romance means kissing, and the first time it happens should be in the first quarter of the book. I don't care if you put it on page 10, but it shouldn't be on page 100. (Yes, I'm aware that the main characters in ME BEFORE YOU don't kiss in the first quarter of the book. Do not tell me that book's a romance. Seriously. Don't. If you think it is, skip to #9.)One or two POV, the halves of the couple only.** Want to tell us what Stella's mom or dog or BFF or first grade teacher thinks of the relationship? That's fine. But the POV in a romance should only be the love interests. Because, again, you don't want the reader to be rooting for the wrong two people. (Yes, I know ME BEFORE YOU has a zillion POV. It's still not a romance.)Deep POV. What does this mean? FEELINGS. Lots of feelings. Use multiple senses, show physical symptoms of lust, but make sure your readers feel the sexual heat between your main characters.Every scene must further the romance. Does that mean they have to be together on every page? Of course not. It's okay to separate the characters and give them subplots that allow them to grow as people and ultimately become more ready to enter a serious relationship. But if Stella goes goes to work and spends 100 pages filing and dealing with an overbearing boss while Rex is nowhere to be found, your reader is going to forget the love interest exists and might not care when he finally turns up on page 237 carrying the aquarium he bought to surprise Stella because she never called him when her fish died.Each main character gets their own character arc. The readers love Stella. Stella's super well-developed. She's got the cutest dog, and funny things happen to her. Rex mostly stays in the background, except when Stella needs someone to carry her shopping bags. We never learn anything about his past. Rex is not a romantic hero. This book is not a romance.By the mid-point, your main characters should have a sexual encounter. Don't want them to have sex? Fine. Let them get interrupted. Have one of them get cold feet. But when I'm reading a romance and I'm halfway through the book, I'm going to get cranky if there hasn't been any nudity yet. I at least need some (very very hot) over the clothes action.Explicit encounters are reserved for the main characters. Sometimes, couples don't meet, fall in love, and get married in a linear fashion. That's fine. But for the most part, if one of the main characters is getting it on with someone else, that's not detailed. It's not hot. Because the reader isn't supposed to be rooting for them.The main characters must wind up together. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE . What used to be a required happily ever after (HEA) has evolved to include "happy for now" (HFN) endings. But if your main characters are not happily involved on the final page, you have not written a romance. Need more help? Those of you who subbed to me during this year's PitchWars can enter my feedback giveaway.
* I'm talking about genre romance, not romantic comedy. Romantic comedy sits pretty firmly in the realm of women's fiction, meaning that it tends to be solo POV, told from a woman's perspective, and deal with multiple issues in her life. The romance is often a subplot that only comes to fruition near the end.
** I'm currently reading a book that has four POV, but it's also very neatly split into two couples. Each has their own plot, and the two rarely intertwine. It's really two separate love stories occurring at the same time in the same place.
HOW TO WRITE A ROMANCE*
Romance has specific tropes. People who read genre romance regularly should notice the same story structure, the same ideas, etc. Books that do not follow these basic guidelines generally are not a romance, no matter how romantic the subplot is.
Why does it matter? It's true, many editors who accept women's fiction or romance accept both. An editor who loves your book is going to help you edit it a certain way, and they're allowed to call it whatever they want after they're done. But you still need to know how to describe your book. For one thing there are a lot of agents who only accept one or the other. For another, WF queries are different from romance queries and your reader needs to know what to expect when they start to read your pages. So, let's take a look at these tropes, using examples from a book I just made up, Stella Wrecks Everything.The main characters meet early on. In recent years, this winds up being in Chapter 1 a lot of the time (sometimes on page one). That's not absolutely required, but if I get to page 50 of your manuscript and the main characters have not yet met, your book is probably not a romance.The first kiss occurs roughly within the first 25% of the book. It can be a short kiss, a stolen kiss, whatever. But romance means kissing, and the first time it happens should be in the first quarter of the book. I don't care if you put it on page 10, but it shouldn't be on page 100. (Yes, I'm aware that the main characters in ME BEFORE YOU don't kiss in the first quarter of the book. Do not tell me that book's a romance. Seriously. Don't. If you think it is, skip to #9.)One or two POV, the halves of the couple only.** Want to tell us what Stella's mom or dog or BFF or first grade teacher thinks of the relationship? That's fine. But the POV in a romance should only be the love interests. Because, again, you don't want the reader to be rooting for the wrong two people. (Yes, I know ME BEFORE YOU has a zillion POV. It's still not a romance.)Deep POV. What does this mean? FEELINGS. Lots of feelings. Use multiple senses, show physical symptoms of lust, but make sure your readers feel the sexual heat between your main characters.Every scene must further the romance. Does that mean they have to be together on every page? Of course not. It's okay to separate the characters and give them subplots that allow them to grow as people and ultimately become more ready to enter a serious relationship. But if Stella goes goes to work and spends 100 pages filing and dealing with an overbearing boss while Rex is nowhere to be found, your reader is going to forget the love interest exists and might not care when he finally turns up on page 237 carrying the aquarium he bought to surprise Stella because she never called him when her fish died.Each main character gets their own character arc. The readers love Stella. Stella's super well-developed. She's got the cutest dog, and funny things happen to her. Rex mostly stays in the background, except when Stella needs someone to carry her shopping bags. We never learn anything about his past. Rex is not a romantic hero. This book is not a romance.By the mid-point, your main characters should have a sexual encounter. Don't want them to have sex? Fine. Let them get interrupted. Have one of them get cold feet. But when I'm reading a romance and I'm halfway through the book, I'm going to get cranky if there hasn't been any nudity yet. I at least need some (very very hot) over the clothes action.Explicit encounters are reserved for the main characters. Sometimes, couples don't meet, fall in love, and get married in a linear fashion. That's fine. But for the most part, if one of the main characters is getting it on with someone else, that's not detailed. It's not hot. Because the reader isn't supposed to be rooting for them.The main characters must wind up together. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE . What used to be a required happily ever after (HEA) has evolved to include "happy for now" (HFN) endings. But if your main characters are not happily involved on the final page, you have not written a romance. Need more help? Those of you who subbed to me during this year's PitchWars can enter my feedback giveaway.
* I'm talking about genre romance, not romantic comedy. Romantic comedy sits pretty firmly in the realm of women's fiction, meaning that it tends to be solo POV, told from a woman's perspective, and deal with multiple issues in her life. The romance is often a subplot that only comes to fruition near the end.
** I'm currently reading a book that has four POV, but it's also very neatly split into two couples. Each has their own plot, and the two rarely intertwine. It's really two separate love stories occurring at the same time in the same place.
August 26, 2016
PitchWars Feedback Giveaway!
This year, I narrowed my wish list for PitchWars pretty significantly to help target submissions more toward my interests. I expected this would lower the total number of entries that I received - and it did, but not by much. At the end of the day, I wound up with more than 70 entries that are exactly my cup of tea (I also wound up with several that were not on my wish list, but let's not talk about those).
You all made the decision extremely difficult. There were easily 20 more entries with compelling premises and well-written first chapters that just weren't what I was looking to mentor right now. I'd have loved to have requested more from everyone, but it didn't seem fair to ask for more when I already had my heart set on something else. What I'll connect with is very hard to predict. I found myself desperately loving two very different manuscripts, and there were three or four more I happily would've taken on if I had unlimited mentoring time.
I'm doing my best to send feedback to everyone whose full manuscripts I requested. But I unfortunately just do not have time to send detailed critiques to everyone who entered this year. I wish I did, but life has a way of overtaking things, and it's not fair to you if I promise feedback to everyone and then take four months (or longer) to send it out.
So..... I'm doing a FEEDBACK GIVEAWAY. Enter from now through September 1. I'll pull THREE winners on September 2 at 8:00 EST. I thought about leaving the giveaway open for another week, but this is the only way to ensure that I'll be able to send the winners their feedback before PitchSlam starts on September 8.
Winners will receive, in order:A first chapter and query critique.First chapter critique only. (If you win this and would prefer a query critique, please let me know.)Query critique only.***You must have submitted your manuscript to me to enter***
I'd love to open the giveaway up to everyone, but really I'm looking to do something nice for those who listed me as one of their 4 or 6 entries. I'll be happily giving away feedback on first pages and pitches once PitchSlam opens. For anyone who would like to book a critique instead, I'm offering full critiques of the first 50 pages (with line edits and big picture issues) for $100, or $100 off reader reports. Use code #PitchWars when you request a quote.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You all made the decision extremely difficult. There were easily 20 more entries with compelling premises and well-written first chapters that just weren't what I was looking to mentor right now. I'd have loved to have requested more from everyone, but it didn't seem fair to ask for more when I already had my heart set on something else. What I'll connect with is very hard to predict. I found myself desperately loving two very different manuscripts, and there were three or four more I happily would've taken on if I had unlimited mentoring time.
I'm doing my best to send feedback to everyone whose full manuscripts I requested. But I unfortunately just do not have time to send detailed critiques to everyone who entered this year. I wish I did, but life has a way of overtaking things, and it's not fair to you if I promise feedback to everyone and then take four months (or longer) to send it out.
So..... I'm doing a FEEDBACK GIVEAWAY. Enter from now through September 1. I'll pull THREE winners on September 2 at 8:00 EST. I thought about leaving the giveaway open for another week, but this is the only way to ensure that I'll be able to send the winners their feedback before PitchSlam starts on September 8.
Winners will receive, in order:A first chapter and query critique.First chapter critique only. (If you win this and would prefer a query critique, please let me know.)Query critique only.***You must have submitted your manuscript to me to enter***
I'd love to open the giveaway up to everyone, but really I'm looking to do something nice for those who listed me as one of their 4 or 6 entries. I'll be happily giving away feedback on first pages and pitches once PitchSlam opens. For anyone who would like to book a critique instead, I'm offering full critiques of the first 50 pages (with line edits and big picture issues) for $100, or $100 off reader reports. Use code #PitchWars when you request a quote.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 25, 2016
FAITHFUL Cover Reveal and Giveaway!!
Today Michelle Hauck and Rockstar Book
Tours are revealing the cover for FAITHFUL, book two in the Birth of Saints series which
releases November 15, 2016! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a SIGNED copy
of book 1 GRUDGING!
On to the reveal!
Title: FAITHFUL (Birth of Saints #2)
Author: Michelle Hauck
Pub. Date: November 15, 2016
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse
Formats: eBook
ISBN: 9780062447173
Find it: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Goodreads
Following Grudging--and with a mix of Terry Goodkind and Bernard Cornwall--religion, witchcraft, and chivalry war in Faithful, the exciting next chapter in Michelle Hauck's Birth of Saints series!
A world of Fear and death…and those trying to save it.
Colina Hermosa has burned to the ground. The Northern invaders continue their assault on the ciudades-estados. Terror has taken hold, and those that should be allies betray each other in hopes of their own survival. As the realities of this devastating and unprovoked war settles in, what can they do to fight back?
On a mission of hope, an unlikely group sets out to find a teacher for Claire, and a new weapon to use against the Northerners and their swelling army.
What they find instead is an old woman.
But she’s not a random crone—she’s Claire’s grandmother. She’s also a Woman of the Song, and her music is both strong and horrible. And while Claire has already seen the power of her own Song, she is scared of her inability to control it, having seen how her magic has brought evil to the world, killing without reason or remorse. To preserve a life of honor and light, Ramiro and Claire will need to convince the old woman to teach them a way so that the power of the Song can be used for good. Otherwise, they’ll just be destroyers themselves, no better than the Northerners and their false god, Dal. With the annihilation their enemy has planned, though, they may not have a choice.
A tale of fear and tragedy, hope and redemption, Faithful is the harrowing second entry in the Birth of Saints trilogy.
Exclusive Excerpt!
Not for the first time, Claire reconsidered her decision to stay when Ramiro had asked her. She’d lingered out of curiosity—and truthfully because it felt good to be needed—but they didn’t need her now with the Northern army defeated. She could return to the swamp and away from so many people. Despite her hopes of friends and community, she felt awkward here. Reason said she’d get used to their ways, but being around so many folk made her want to hide. Everything pressed down. The walls of the tent shrunk, pinning her in, and smothering her. It became hard to breathe.She reached for a fresh strip of cloth, only to have her hand shake. She snatched the material and began to roll it, trying to shut out everything else, including her own doubts.Before she could find a semblance of peace, though, someone shouted. Ladies screamed. Claire looked over her shoulder at the noise. A brown-bearded man in a poncho and a floppy hat ran in her direction. “My family is dead, because of the evacuations. Because of you.”Claire gasped. He seemed to be talking to Beatriz, then his gaze found Claire.“Witch!” His outstretched hand suddenly held a long butcher knife. “Witch! Stay away from us! Murderer! Abomination! Die!”Fronilde dropped to the ground, but Claire couldn’t move. Surprise robbed her brain of a Song to stop him. Even the words of the Hornet Tune, which she knew as well as her name, deserted her. The man closed as everyone scrambled out of his way. Then Beatriz sprang from her chair to stand over Claire, holding up her hand. The tall, black-lace mantilla atop her head waved like a flag. “Stop.”Something about the authority in the First Wife’s voice—or maybe her simple resistance instead of cringing or scrambling away—brought the man up short, making him pause for a moment. Just the moment the bodyguard needed to crush the lunatic to the floor and overpower him, wrestling free the knife. More guards came running from outside.Breath rushed back in Claire’s lungs. Beatriz sniffed and touched a spot on her chest over her heart and then her forehead and stomach areas. “Imbecile. He didn’t know who he was dealing with.”
About Michelle:
Michelle Hauck lives in the bustling
metropolis of northern Indiana with her hubby and two teenagers. Two papillons
help balance out the teenage drama. Besides working with special needs children
by day, she writes all sorts of fantasy, giving her imagination free range. A
book worm, she passes up the darker vices in favor of chocolate and looks for
any excuse to reward herself. Bio finished? Time for a sweet snack.
She is a co-host of the yearly contests Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query
Street, and Sun versus Snow.
Her epic fantasy, Kindar's Cure, is published by Divertir
Publishing. Her short story, Frost and Fog, is published by The
Elephant's Bookshelf Press in their anthology, Summer's Double Edge.
She's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.
Website
| Twitter | Facebook page
| Tumblr | Goodreads
Giveaway Details:2 winners will receive a signed of
GRUDGING, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 24, 2016
FROSH: SECOND CHANCE blog tour and review!
Today I'm excited to be reviewing FROSH: SECOND CHANCES by Mónica Bustamonte Wagner. I received a free copy of both books in the series in exchange for this honest review. But before we get to that Mónica wanted to share her playlist for this book.
[image error]After ruining Grant's football career (and her own reputation), Ellie has been trying to lie low--which means not making more enemies. But some students still want her to pay for what she did, and now, Ellie's determined to fight back--and fight for Grant.
Grant is adjusting to his new reality: no more football means no more free passes in class, and definitely no more distractions; especially from Ellie, whom he misses even after she destroyed his world. Can he find a way to move on without her--and without football?
Devon finally has it all: her brother's sober and her boyfriend is an adorkable genius. But when her parents threaten to tear her and Charlie apart because he doesn't 'fit' into their high society, she will go to dangerous lengths to prove that nothing--nothing--can defeat Devon Connors.
Charlie's never questioned who he is: pre-med science geek, and now, Devon Connors' boyfriend. But when he discovers a secret about his past, Charlie isn't sure of anything--especially whether he can trust Devon with the truth.
Perfect for fans of Cora Carmack and Colleen Hoover, Monica B. Wagner's sexy New Adult series follows these four characters all the way to winter break--when the only thing they'll want more than first love is a second chance.
Things I Liked:Wagner's crisp writing helped me sink back into these couples' stories the way you pick up with you BFF as if it hasn't been a month since you last spoke. I loved seeing the way Devon and Charlie's relationship grew between the books.Grant's grown a lot in this book, and I'm excited to see what happens to him next. Excellent characterization for all four of the main characters, for all I hated seeing them go through hard times. The pacing is spot-on. It's a quick, fun read. Randomly, I think "mac n cheese sex" is my all-time favorite phrase. I get it.
Things I Didn't Like:This stupid book ripped my heart out and smashed it into little piece and made me feel things AND I HATE THAT. I literally put down the book at one point and went to go get some ice cream because I couldn't stand all the emotions. It takes some pretty stellar writing to get me pissed off about how much I'm feeling.There's not enough sex. One of the things that makes FROSH: First BLUSH work so well is that by juxtapositioning the storylines, Ellie can hold onto her virginity but the reader gets lots and lots of steamy sex with Charlie and Devon. In SECOND CHANCES, Devon and Charlie have their own problems, so there's no sex at all for most of the book. The sex scenes we get are HAWT, but I still wish there were more of them.
Overall:
Honestly, the book was a bit of a letdown for me after reading FIRST BLUSH. I came to know and love all four of these characters, and then mostly bad things happened them for most of the book. Also, HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILER ***I also was expecting a complete story, so I was a little disappointed to find a cliffhanger at the end.*** END
4 out of 5 stars. The writing is solid, but the plot didn't deliver quite what I hoped.
Buy on: Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Don't forget to check out the first book in the series!
[image error]
During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH will hit the fan.
Type-A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hell-bent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming one herself—and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.
Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He’s got a reputation to protect.
High-society legacy student Devon is ready to catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the “it” boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried—or so she thinks.
Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny geek that girls like Devon ignore. But if he tries to impress her with a new edgy, spontaneous attitude, will his heart end up in the emergency room?
FROSH intertwines the stories of Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie in Mónica B. Wagner’s sexy NA debut series, about falling in love and falling apart.
Buy on: Amazon | B&N | iTunes
[image error] Mónica was born in a Peruvian city by a snow-capped volcano. Growing up, books were her constant companions as she traveled with her family to places like India (where she became a vegetarian), Thailand (where she *almost* met Leonardo di Caprio), France (where she pretended to learn French), and countless other places that inspired her to write. Now, Mónica lives in Chile with her husband, three boys, eleven hens, and stray dog. Keep up with Monica and follow her on Twitter @Monica_BW or visit her website: http://monibw.blogspot.com.
Hi! Thanks for inviting me to this blog today. : )In FROSH: First Blush, Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie spent their welcome week falling head over heels for each other--before totally falling apart. Now, in FROSH: Second Chances, they'll have to pick up the pieces.
I’m here to share a playlist for each of the main POV characters on Frosh: Second Chances.
Ellie: Set Fire to The Rain and Rolling in the Deep – Adele. Can't Remember to Forget You - Shakira ft. Rihanna.
Grant: The Scientist (Nobody Said it Was Easy) – Coldplay. Misery – Maroon 5.
Charlie: Are You Lonesome Tonight – Elvis Presley. I Will Wait – Mumford and Sons.
Devon: Fancy - Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX. Work Bitch - Britney Spears
Thanks so much for reading!
Mónica
[image error]After ruining Grant's football career (and her own reputation), Ellie has been trying to lie low--which means not making more enemies. But some students still want her to pay for what she did, and now, Ellie's determined to fight back--and fight for Grant.
Grant is adjusting to his new reality: no more football means no more free passes in class, and definitely no more distractions; especially from Ellie, whom he misses even after she destroyed his world. Can he find a way to move on without her--and without football?
Devon finally has it all: her brother's sober and her boyfriend is an adorkable genius. But when her parents threaten to tear her and Charlie apart because he doesn't 'fit' into their high society, she will go to dangerous lengths to prove that nothing--nothing--can defeat Devon Connors.
Charlie's never questioned who he is: pre-med science geek, and now, Devon Connors' boyfriend. But when he discovers a secret about his past, Charlie isn't sure of anything--especially whether he can trust Devon with the truth.
Perfect for fans of Cora Carmack and Colleen Hoover, Monica B. Wagner's sexy New Adult series follows these four characters all the way to winter break--when the only thing they'll want more than first love is a second chance.
Things I Liked:Wagner's crisp writing helped me sink back into these couples' stories the way you pick up with you BFF as if it hasn't been a month since you last spoke. I loved seeing the way Devon and Charlie's relationship grew between the books.Grant's grown a lot in this book, and I'm excited to see what happens to him next. Excellent characterization for all four of the main characters, for all I hated seeing them go through hard times. The pacing is spot-on. It's a quick, fun read. Randomly, I think "mac n cheese sex" is my all-time favorite phrase. I get it.
Things I Didn't Like:This stupid book ripped my heart out and smashed it into little piece and made me feel things AND I HATE THAT. I literally put down the book at one point and went to go get some ice cream because I couldn't stand all the emotions. It takes some pretty stellar writing to get me pissed off about how much I'm feeling.There's not enough sex. One of the things that makes FROSH: First BLUSH work so well is that by juxtapositioning the storylines, Ellie can hold onto her virginity but the reader gets lots and lots of steamy sex with Charlie and Devon. In SECOND CHANCES, Devon and Charlie have their own problems, so there's no sex at all for most of the book. The sex scenes we get are HAWT, but I still wish there were more of them.
Overall:
Honestly, the book was a bit of a letdown for me after reading FIRST BLUSH. I came to know and love all four of these characters, and then mostly bad things happened them for most of the book. Also, HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILER ***I also was expecting a complete story, so I was a little disappointed to find a cliffhanger at the end.*** END
4 out of 5 stars. The writing is solid, but the plot didn't deliver quite what I hoped.
Buy on: Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Don't forget to check out the first book in the series!
[image error]
During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH will hit the fan.
Type-A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hell-bent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming one herself—and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.
Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He’s got a reputation to protect.
High-society legacy student Devon is ready to catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the “it” boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried—or so she thinks.
Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny geek that girls like Devon ignore. But if he tries to impress her with a new edgy, spontaneous attitude, will his heart end up in the emergency room?
FROSH intertwines the stories of Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie in Mónica B. Wagner’s sexy NA debut series, about falling in love and falling apart.
Buy on: Amazon | B&N | iTunes
[image error] Mónica was born in a Peruvian city by a snow-capped volcano. Growing up, books were her constant companions as she traveled with her family to places like India (where she became a vegetarian), Thailand (where she *almost* met Leonardo di Caprio), France (where she pretended to learn French), and countless other places that inspired her to write. Now, Mónica lives in Chile with her husband, three boys, eleven hens, and stray dog. Keep up with Monica and follow her on Twitter @Monica_BW or visit her website: http://monibw.blogspot.com.
![[image error]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dafb55_a5d792516c0940bca8eb385eadf124b4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_150,h_225/dafb55_a5d792516c0940bca8eb385eadf124b4~mv2.jpg){kind=link}