Lizzy Charles's Blog, page 6

Author Interview with Jodi Linton

Today, I’m excited to host Jodi Linton for a “nail biting” author interview (you’ll get my joke in a second). Jodi is a Texan suspense author (get it, nail biting!?) with a two book deal with the Entangled Publishing. Her debut novel is released in 2014.

 Welcome Jodi! 

Thank you so much for stopping in on my blog, Jodi, and being willing to answer the questions I’ve thrown your way! Let’s get to your awesome answers.

1. What is your favorite drink? I’m a Dr Pepper girl all the way.

2. Where do you write? At a mint green, antique desk wedged into the living room corner.

3. You have a two book deal with Entangled Publishing. Can you tell us about the books? I can tell you that I will be releasing with the Suspense line in 2014 and that my hero wears tight jeans and has a hankering for small town girls.

4. Do you outline or plot each book? I try to outline, but still, I find myself flying by the seat of my pants.

5.How long did it take you to write/edit your first novel? Can you estimate how many revisions you went through? I wrote the rough draft in about two weeks, but spent a year editing the MS with my husband. No, even thinking about all the revisions make my head hurt. There has been a complete overhaul from the original draft to the final MS that I sent off to agents. I probably revised each chapter maybe five or seven times, and then I’d go back over the MS for more revisions. It was a long hard process, but one I’d gladly do again.

6. Are you working on anything new right now? At the moment, I’m editing book 2 for Entangled and starting up a new manuscript to send to my agent.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! I can’t wait to read your debut novel!!! Readers, please make sure to check out Jodi’s website, blog, like her facebook and follow her on twitter. She’s so much fun!

Here are her links:

website:http://jodilinton.com

tumblr:http://jodilinton.tumblr.com

twitter:http://twitter.com/jodilinton1

FB:http://facebook.com/JodiLintonAuthor

Cover and Title Reveal!

Eek! It’s here. I can finally share  the cover and title of my novel.

Are you ready?

I am!

Introducing, my novel, EFFORTLESS WITH YOU, published by Swoon Romance!

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School is out and Lucy is ready for the perfect summer: lazy days at the pool, invitations to the most exclusive parties, and romantic dates with her hot new boyfriend. That is, until she lands in trouble one too many times and her parents issue the ultimate punishment: a summer job. Suddenly, the summer can’t end fast enough.

To make matters worse, the job is painting houses with Justin, the most popular, egotistical guy in school. Spending all summer with Justin might be other girls’ dreams, but definitely not Lucy’s. After all, Justin is cocky, annoying, and a jerk. So what if he’s the most beautiful jerk Lucy’s ever seen? Or that his grin makes her forget she’s mad at the world? Or that maybe, just maybe, there’s more to Justin than Lucy realizes. Only one thing is certain: it won’t be the summer she wanted, but it might be exactly the one she needs.

I’m so excited to be at this point. It’s here, it’s real, and it’s coming SOON!!!! EFFORTLESS WITH YOU will be available late this summer.

If you’d like to help me out with promoting my novel, please add EFFORTLESS WITH YOU to your GoodReads account. Link Here:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18129111-effortless-with-you

Also, if you aren’t already, I’d love if you followed me on Facebook at Lizzy Charles and/or on Twitter @LizzyCharles_ for future updates!

AND, heck, if you want to share this blog post or pin it to Pinterest, that would be AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for your wonderful support!

The Revision Process

Hello everyone!

I’ve been on a temporary hiatus due to two major developments in my life! Between revising my debut novel and the thrill of morning sickness, I’ve been a rather occupied. But, I’m here and ready to blog!

Let’s talk briefly about the revision process. Anxious doesn’t come close to describing how I felt about revising, before I even got the editorial notes from my publisher. This was new to me! I’d revised gazillions (that’s a number) of times based on my own thoughts and the opinions of critique partner’s and beta readers. But, from a REAL editor? *gulp* I really didn’t know what to expect.

So, what did I get?

I first received an editorial letter. I’d best compare this to what I would call a thorough Beta Reading document. Basically, a word document where the editor wrote up their thoughts and opinions on my characters, plot, and writing.

From there, I dove into the manuscript. I had the unique situation where my line edits and developmental edits were combined into one large editorial process. Thankfully, the document looked much like the thorough critiques I recieve from my critique group. We’re a fierce bunch of writers and critiquers. They prepared me well! The editorial document was filled with developmental comments about needed character development, areas of great pacing, poor pacing, and always the fun “:) I love this part!” comment. Because, if you are going to give someone suggestions, it’s also nice to point out the good parts too.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the developmental edits (I’m reassured this is a normal reaction when first receiving your editorial letter), I started my revision process with biting off what I could chew.

Line edits.

I dug in deep, repairing not only the areas they suggested but making sure that my novel represents my current writing skills. I wrote the novel three and a half years ago, revising it up ’til Winter of 2012. But guess what happened in 2013? I took a break from revising my own novel to dig in deep and critique others’. I learned so much from this process, that I wrote another novel. Pumping that out in only one month. Winter 2013 and Spring 2013, was my self designed writer’s bootcamp. I can say I’ve learned more about writing from critiquing than any book I’ve purchased or creative writing class I took in college.

So,  I decided to go up and beyond the line edit call from my editor, and suggest alternative line edits as well. I use track changes while editing. This way the editor always knows what line edits I suggested and implemented as well as seeing if I met their own suggestions.

I noted ideas of how to meet my editor’s developmental revisions while I completed my line edit pass. Doing this gave my brain the ability to jump right back into developmental edits, knowing exactly how I was going to tackle my issues and where.

I’m now at the point where I’ve completed my first developmental pass of edits and second. I’m giving myself some “time off” so I can return with fresh eyes.

I’m a big believer that fresh eyes is key in creating a great manuscript.

So that’s where I am in the revision process. How do you approach revisions? Whether for your editor, yourself, or a critique partner?

I’d love to hear about it!

OH. P.S. … MY BIG COVER REVEAL IS TOMORROW!!!!

Grasping GoodReads

Today, I’ve invited my friend Jen Victoria to share her experience using GoodReads. Jen Victoria is a mother of two teenage girls, a writer, an avid book lover, and a future bookstore owner. Thank you so much Jen Victoria for sharing your thoughts with New Writer Wednesday!

Welcome Jen Victoria!

I’ve always been a huge reader, but shied away from using any of the book cataloging websites. I questioned if I needed yet another form of social media. Despite being a member of Goodreads since 2007, March was the first time I really used it. Wanting a better way than haphazardly scribbling in a notebook what books I’ve read, I opted to finally make use of my Goodreads account. Turns out, there was a bigger, more personal issue hindering my process.

My first visit in years took the better part of an hour to set up my virtual shelves and rate books I’ve read this year. What I didn’t count on, was that part of my hesitancy to log every book I read was due to embarrassment on my part. Logging every book I read, meant including books not considered Literature, books one could buy at a grocery store and perhaps books that I only dared to download to my ereader. There is a stigma to certain genres’ even though the writing and story are fabulous. A book snobbery if you will, that I cultivated when I studied English Literature in college. The beauty of Goodreads is that there is room for enjoying all kinds of books. Lurking beneath my shelf of literature, lies my love of mysteries, urban fantasy and chick lit. Yes, I love Jane Austen, but I also really enjoyed Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series.

As much as I’ve enjoyed using Goodreads, I admittedly have a small number of Goodreadsfriends and have not looked into groups. The friends I do have are active and I love the convenience of seeing what they’ve read and recommend and what type of books they like. One friend in particular, recommends books I would have never thought to read. Picking up some of her four and five star books has introduced me to some great stories. Another way to branch out is to enter contests. There are plenty of contests for books that have upcoming release dates. I like the idea of readers winning advanced copies of books and reviewing them and being part of a reading community.

I often look for a book based on what I’m in the mood to read. A big part of Goodreads is that it makes recommendations based on books you’ve rated. I tend to take the time to write reviews of books I love and would hand to a friend. At the very least, I try to rate the book using Goodreads star system. Recommendations are based on genre and this offers many different options for the next read. In casual conversation, I find myself referring to the Goodreads iphone app to discuss books to read with friends. I’m more of a casual user of goodreads but have found it to be useful especially for keeping track of what I’ve read in a year and getting recommendations.  Most importantly, I’ve learned is that there is room for all the books a person loves. Toni Morrison can coexist next to Deborah Harkness, at least on my virtual Goodreads shelf.

Since starting my Goodreads experiment, Amazon has acquired it. While I have yet to notice a difference, it will be interesting to see if things change or if another competitor will spring up. Until then, I will continue to use Goodreads.

Thanks Jen! Make sure to follow Jen Victoria on Twitter! She’s super supportive and lots of fun!

 

Let’s Discuss Critique Partners

Today, I welcome Amy Cavenaugh to New Writer Wednesday to discuss critique partners. Amy is the mother of three, writes adult thrillers, a huge New Kids on the Block Fan, and has a fantastic eye for copyediting/line editing. I know, as she is one of my critique partners. Welcome, Amy!!

I’ve seen many blog posts about the importance of critique partners. I thought I would add my own two cents to the discussion today for Lizzy’s blog post. Thank you to Lizzy for inviting me to write this, by the way! J xoxo (You’re welcome! I love having you!)

When I first started writing my current novel, I had no idea what critique partners were. I mean, obviously I could figure it out but I didn’t realize I could find someone I didn’t know to read my stuff and give me an honest, unbiased opinion. What a concept! My world and my work completely changed. While I thought my manuscript was awesome, I had no idea of all the problems and would never have found out if I hadn’t gained my (incredibly fantastic) critique partners. I would’ve just continued to receive form rejection after form rejection without knowing or understanding why I never got feedback.

I had several friends read my manuscript around this time last year and thought that was okay. Um, no. While I value their feedback, they were friends and I think may have shielded me from their true reactions because we are friends. What I needed were real critique partners. It was during the #GUTGAA contest in late 2012 that I finally found the critique partner I needed in JM Bray. He offered valuable feedback from the male perspective (my MC is a guy) and was blunt and honest about what worked and what didn’t. Sometimes, it hurt my feelings but I needed to hear it. My book became so much stronger for it. Everyone needs a CP like JM, or as I affectionately nicknamed him Marky Mark (he loves it). Oh, and he’s a pretty awesome writer so check his stuff out because I know he’ll get an agent before too long!

So my first piece of advice: Find a CP you don’t know. You won’t have to worry about hurt feelings. And be brutally honest with them as well. Although we are good friends now, it helped our relationship to be so honest with one another about our work so that now we still can be honest and say, “This isn’t working. Fix it.” We are also a shoulder to cry on when we get particularly painful rejections.

Second piece of advice: Join a critique group. In December 2012, I joined #TheOffBeats, a great group of women who often get together and chat about writing among other things. Oh, and we also critique one another’s work and serve as a sounding board for ideas as well as a cheerleading section when there’s good news for one of us. It’s vitally important to find a group of writers you can connect with, share with, celebrate and cry with. This group of girls offered me the best piece of advice (that I didn’t want to take): get rid of my three points of view and take it down to one or two. I resisted the change because it meant a complete rewrite. But as it turned out, that was exactly what agents wanted. So as of last month, I embarked on (another) complete rewrite, taking my three POVs down to one and – holy crap!—changing that one POV to first person from third. Gulp. Huge undertaking, but my book is already so much stronger. So listen to what your CPs are telling you and make the changes, even if they hurt, even if you have to kill your darlings, as they say.

Of course, you don’t have to make any and all changes your CPs suggest. I haven’t used all of their suggestions but my writing has drastically improved from their feedback. Make sure you have at least two CPs read your work before sending it off to an agent. You’ll be glad you did!

Thank you so much, Amy! This is a great post. To add to this post, please check out this one that lists areas to find critique partners or beta readers: How to Find a Beta Reader. Also, don’t forget to follow Amy on Twitter: @AmyCavenaugh. She’s lots of fun and offers great encouragement!

Handling Distraction

Today, I welcome the sweet Ifeoma Dennis to New Writer Wednesday. Ifeoma Dennis is a Caribbean medical student currently writing a young adult fantasy novel.  She’s taking her time, building her world with care. Not in a rush because she wants to put out a great story. I really admire her for that! Ifeoma is here to share her thoughts on the internet and discipline as a new writer!

Welcome Ifeoma (If-or-ma. Coolest name ever!).

Thank you for having me, Lizzy!

Here. This might be quite cliché but —-

Being a writer is 3% talent, and 97% not being distracted by the internet- Anonymous.

The internet is good.

I mean, it’s 99.9 percent less time-consuming to check the meaning of a word in freedictionary than flip the pages of your paperback Oxford Advanced Dictionary. Also, it’s easier to use the Translate features of Google (which I use frequently, being a fantasy writer in love with a healthy dose of latin) than using some old Latin-English dictionary.

Not to mention research. With the internet, we can view maps of places we’ve never been to, dig up what people wore centuries back, old cultures and the like- right from the comfort our bedrooms (or wherever your writing desk is).

And there’s Twitter, of course.

With Twitter, we can get a feel of agents – their personalities and what they want, know what genre is trending and what’s not. It keeps us informed…and happy. Happy, because we connect with other writers too. Without Twitter, I wouldn’t have met Lizzy who’s giving me the honor of guest-blogging for the very first time (YAY! I’m so thrilled to have you!)

But the question is- just how much of the internet is a healthy dose for our productivity as writers?

How long do you spend on Twitter, checking your feed, clicking on never-ending informative links which might lead you to click on more link s- just how long is too much?

If I can write 1000 words in one hour and spend one hour on Twitter, I guess I’m not less productive than the person who spends two hours writing 1000 words. It all depends on your rate of productivity. But never cheat yourself. If your word limit for a day is 1000 words, then you can do whatever you want with the rest of your time.

In my opinion, that’s the best way to handle all the distraction that comes with the internet- achieve your goal for the day, and reward yourself with Twitter or with blogging (because, let’s face it – most times we’re on the internet, it’s probably one or both of that two).

It’s still perfectly ok to check out Twitter or your reader before you start writing for the day (sometimes we get a lot of inspiration from those) but give yourself a time-limit and stick to it.

And while writing, we can be disciplined enough not to have that wandering hand that would click on Twitter. If it means switching off the internet, using K9 and letting someone else fix the password, going to a coffee shop and not connecting to the public internet…by all means, do that.

Because you want to be disciplined enough to finish your book. You know you want this. I want it, too.

I couldn’t agree more! Thank you so much Ifeoma for posting on New Writer Wednesday. Discipline is truly what it takes to succeed. You can network all you want, but if you don’t actually write your manuscript, you will never become an author!

Please follow Ifeoma on Twitter: @Ifeomadennis and on her blog: I.D.