Kate Jarvik Birch's Blog, page 3

DELIVER ME Launch Day and Kindle Giveaway

I've looked forward to this day for a LONG, LONG TIME!!! To celebrate the launch of DELIVER ME, I'm giving away one of my favorite things: an Amazon Kindle (rafflecopter entry form below). 

But between all the partying and giveaways, I wanted to spend a little time remembering all the moments that have led up to this.

Ten-year-old me: Brought my navy-blue notebook to school almost every day during fourth grade and spent all my free time penning (and illustrating) my very first novel.

Sixteen-year-old me: Precocious and sometimes a bit of a slacker in English class.  When I didn't finish reading For Whom the Bell Tolls, I thought I'd just make up the essay questions (because I could write a book as well as Hemingway, right?).

Twenty-year-old me: Started writing my first non-grade-school novel. Brought my clipboard with my printed manuscript everywhere I went. Hmmm, maybe not so different from 10-year-old me. 

Twenty-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-year old me: Kept writing. Wrote short stories and essays and poems. Tried writing a novel in three days for the Three-Day-Novel-Writing-Competition-- twice!. Realized how good it felt to finish.

Thirty-year-old me: Went to conferences. Wrote and illustrated picture books. Mailed them out. Got rejections. Kept writing. Tried writing a middle grade novel.

Thirty-one-year-old me: Started writing another middle grade novel. Finished it. Tried querying. Got many rejections. Kept writing.

Thirty-two-year-old me: Kept writing. Wrote a YA novel. Got my first essay published.

Thirty-three-year-old me:  Tried Querying. Found an agent to who fell in love with my story. Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Almost got an offer. Almost. Wrote another YA novel.

Thirty-four-year-old me: Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Some almosts. Published my first short-story. Wrote another Middle grade novel.

Thirty-five-year-old me: Went on submission. Got a lot of rejections. Some almosts. Wrote another YA novel. Finally, finally, after all those rejections got a yes! And another yes!

Thirty-six-year-old me: Editing. Editing. Almost finished another Middle Grade novel. And now this.THIS!!! 

Future me: Kept writing. Kept writing. Kept writing....



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It Blows My Mind

hoto credit: Flооd via photopin cc  
Sorry A to Z, I've failed you. My edits got the best of me, but to be fair, I think I squished a month's worth of work into one week, so at least I won at THAT. 

Instead of keeping up with the posts I'd planned for the challenge, I decided this week I might just have to write some of my favorite things. In other words, I'll be making some lists. Today... a list of all the things that are blowing my mind.


I am old and have kids. Yeah, I know, I've had 18 years to let this sink in, but it still blows my mind!I put things in my eyes to help me SEE. What? If I was alive almost any other time in history, I'd have fallen off a cliff already.And while we're on the subject... EYES!!! Yeah, eyes. I mean, seriously. How do these things not either puff up and explode or shrivel up and fall out. We're alive! And most of the time not even sick. How is that possible? Our body parts get old, but mostly, they keep working. WORDS! We write things and read things and (for the most part) it makes sense to us. Sometimes it even helps US makes sense of being alive.I get to write words and people might actually choose to READ them... voluntarily. And some of those people might even be moved to tears by those words that I wrote.What's blowing your mind today?

Author Spotlight: Ryann Jansen

Ryann Jansen
Ryann is a happily married mother of two living in central Alabama. Growing up, she always knew that writing was her passion, but wasn’t sure how to pursue it. About five years ago, while up late feeding her youngest daughter, she stumbled upon the AgentQuery website, and began really thinking about completing a novel. Since then, she has completed four manuscripts, and learned the ins and outs of the publishing business. After sending queries for a while and receiving many full and partial requests, as well as revise and resubmit requests, but never getting the ever elusive “yes”, Ryann decided to self-publish, and her first novel, Bittersweet Hope, is now available via Kindle or the Kindle app.
Q&A
What was your favorite book as a child? How about now?
My favorite book growing up was The Dollhouse Murders, by Betty Wren Wright. Even though I was a total wimp, I would read that book and get myself good and scared at least once a month! Wright was so wonderful at pulling you right into the story and making you believe you were there-even after you’d read the book many times!

My current favorite book is Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Kristin Hannah is probably my all-time favorite author. She is a master of character, and every time I read something by her, I feel as though every single person in the book is right there with me, telling me their story in person. Firefly Lane is especially poignant, I think, because it deals with an amazing friendship, and the bond between two women, and I think that can be something so hard to write.
What made you decide to become a writer?
I decided to become a writer, because, first off, I’ve always loved it. I’ve written stories since I can remember, and it’s just something that feels incredibly natural to me. It took me a long time to believe in myself enough to think I could actually write for an audience, though. Once I embraced that confidence, I decided to go for it, and I’m glad I did. I love to be creative and I love to explore any type of story, and how can you do that in any better way than to write?


What is the most difficult part of writing?

The most difficult part of writing for me, is actually finding the time. I have a four and a five year old who are extremely active, and a full time job as well. Sometimes I feel like I can barely breathe doing everything I have to do, and to find an hour to sit down and get the words on the page can be challenging. When I do, it feels so wonderful and like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Of course, there is also confidence. That’s actually probably tied with time for most difficult part. It can be so debilitating, being a writer and never feeling as though your work is good enough! But, that is what wonderful critique groups, friends, and family come in. You need that support system, and you need that faith in yourself that you can go for your dream.
How long does it take you to draft a novel? Tell us a bit about your writing process.
If I can find the time, I can write the first draft of a manuscript in about three months. That’s with a general word count of about 60K, and I know that may seem short, but I write contemporary YA. Like I said, though, that’s with me finding the time! I’d say right now it is taking me longer because life seems so busy. I’m about half way through the second novel in my Bittersweet Series. With editing and revising, I’d tack on an extra couple months.

I don’t have a writing process, per say. I think I do best with short sprints—thirty minutes here and there, and I can get about four thousand words down in that time span. I keep a journal with me at all times, and I might think of short passages or a certain line of dialogue that would be perfect for one of my characters, and I’ll jot that down and figure out where it can go once the novel is finished. During editing, I like to read through it and make notes, then filter those in as well. Once I’m done with that, I do a complete line by line edit—then send to my critique partners, who are fabulous. Once they’re done with it and send it back, I carefully review their suggestions, which are usually right on point, and I revise accordingly. Once those revisions are done, I do another line by line, and then it’s complete.
What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on the second novel in my Bittersweet series, which is titled Bittersweet Summer. In the first novel, you were introduced to the three Emerson sisters, and the story was told from Audrey’s point of view. Now, in the second book, we are seeing things through Sadie’s eyes. There is continuation from the first book, and Audrey and Sadie’s relationship isn’t all sunshine and roses just yet. Sadie also has a love interest this time around. Once this book is finished, I have a third book planned for the middle sister, Sierra.





























BITTERSWEET HOPERyann Jansen191 pages
Synopsis:
With a hooker for a mother, seventeen-year-old Audrey Emerson is pretty sure her life can't get any more screwed up. Until, that is, her mom is murdered and she and her sisters are put in separate foster homes. That is like, the definition of hell.

Then Audrey meets Caleb. She's wary to begin with, but slowly she learns to trust, and to believe in herself. Even though she feels guilty for being so happy after her mother's death, Audrey can't help but be grateful that her life is finally her own, and that she can for once be a normal teenager.

There's only one problem. Her youngest sister seems to be following in their mom's footsteps, and Audrey can't let that happen. The question is, can she save her sister while still saving herself?
To learn more about Ryann and her books you can find her here:
Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter 

It's the Final Countdown!

Countdown Clocks


Exactly ONE week until DELIVER ME gets released out into the great wide world. I hope my sweet little book is welcomed with open arms.

If I had a... Pirate Ship

I'm so busy with the final edits for PERFECTED that I'm just posting this detail from an illustration I did a few months ago for the fabulous Simon P. Clark.

If I had an... Octopus

I tried to get him to serve the tea
What a mistakeThe cups got all slimy—And so did the cakeEight legsDo not a butler make
I tried to get him to fix us dinnerWhat a flopHe cracked all the eggs and proceeded to dropEvery bowlUntil I told him to stop
I tried to get him to fold the laundryWhat a blunderHe tied things in knots, over and underAnd splitMy brand new undies asunder
So I gave up trying to put him to workWhat luck‘Cause it turns out his talent is giving hugsWrapped those arms around my waistFelt great!Finally, finally we found a purposeFor our clumsy octopus.

If I had a... Notebook

photo credit: Dvortygirl via photopin cc 

I'd fill it. 
Each page.
Scribbles and scratches
And loopy scrawl
The beginnings 
The what ifs 
The untethered ideas
Not solid yet
They float there
Little balloons
Waiting to lift off the page
Waiting for form
Waiting to be made
Into something whole.

Author Spotlight: Liana Brooks

Liana Brooks

Liana Brooks is a full time mom, part time author, who would rather slay dragons than budget the checkbook any day. Alas, Adventuring Hero is not a recognized course of study in American universities so Liana was forced to do the next best thing. She graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in marine biology, a husband, and no job prospects in her field. To fill the free time she started writing. Now her books are read all over the world (she says she’s big in Canada) and she’s free to explore the universe one page at a time.  

Q&A

If you could be best friends with another author (past or present), who would it be?
Oh, this is a tough one. I have so many author friends right now so let’s go with some dead ones. I would have loved to meet Tolkien. I grew up reading Tolkien and as much as I love his work I really wish I’d been his beta-reader for THE HOBBIT so I could tweak the ending a little. He kind of went through a Hamlet phase there. It was awkward. If Tolkien isn’t available I’d love to spend time with Shakespeare.
Do you have a favorite genre to write? How about to read?
I love writing sci-fi and futuristic stories. The perfectionist in me has a heart-attack if I can’t find all the details needed to write the time period accurately (and sometimes those facts are very hard to find), and plain contemporary always seems a little too bland. I read sci-fi (naturally), and I love Urban Fantasy to the point of obsession. I also sneak in fun romances of any genre and thrillers. If you write about spies, I want to read your book.
What is the most difficult part of writing?
Honestly? Making myself write. Once I start writing everything flows fairly easily (although I grumble on Twitter out of habit). But getting myself to set apart the time, losing the distractions, that’s hard for me. It’s why I bought Write or Die. The program makes obnoxious noises and screams at you if you stop writing. It’s perfect for rough drafts. J
How long does it take you to draft a novel? Tell us a bit about your writing process.
Longer than it should, and longer than it used to. I’ve done National Novel Writing Month (where you write 50,000 words in 30 days) several times and usually set a word count goal of 3000 words/day. That was very good for me, but as the kids got older and life got busier I found I don’t have 3-4 hours of writing time a day, I have 1 or So it takes me about three months to draft a novel and a year to edit it because I’ll send it to my critique partners for a month while I work on something different.

I call my writing style the Lazy Susan approach to writing. At any given moment I have three or four projects of different lengths in the works. A novel being polished, final edits for a novella, a rough draft for a short story, and if the one I’m working on leaves me stuck I spin the Lazy Susan and work on something else. It’s not the most efficient way of writing. It’s not nearly as focused as some other authors who will go from rough draft to final draft without ever looking at another plot, but it works for me. It means I don’t have weeks or months of not writing. I don’t spend my down time on a book puttering on the golf course. I spend it writing in another universe.










































EVEN VILLAINS GO TO THE MOVIESLiana Brooks114 pagesPublisher: Breathless PressPublish date: Nov. 15th, 2013
Synopsis
When your mother is America’s Superhero Sweetheart and your daddy’s the Number One Super Villain, you grow up feeling a little conflicted.
Angela Smith has superpowers—nothing that will ever make her comic-book famous—but her ability to psychically sense and manipulate the emotions of people around her has drawn unwanted government attention. Forced to choose between her quiet life as a teacher under constant surveillance or the life of a rogue, she chooses the latter. She plans to hide out in sunny Los Angeles where being a blue-eyed blonde won’t make anyone bat a false eyelash.  
Silver screen star by day, superhero by night, Arktos is a triple-threat. He can fly, freeze anything, and see glimpses of the future, all of which he needs to keep the city of Los Angeles safe, but which does nothing for his social life. When a frightening vision of an explosion leads him to rescue a damsel in distress, he finds himself trading Shakespearean insults with a rogue.
Angela knows just how dangerous well-intentioned superheroes can be: one tried to kill her family when she was young. Arktos knows he should hand the rogue over to Company justice; it’s not safe for someone like her to be in the middle of a fight.
But they can’t seem to stay apart. And together, they just might be able to melt all the obstacles standing between true love for a hero and a villain.
Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter | Website | Facebook 

If I had a... Monster

photo credit: ojimbo via photopin cc
In the right light he’s kind of cute (as long as you ignore the bits of dried blood that cling to the fur around his mouth and the razor sharp tips of his claws). 
Exactly what color is he, you ask? Would you call that chartreuse? Maybe pistachio? That’s precisely what I mean. When the light is right you’ll be generous with names. You won’t say split pea. You won’t say puke.

His eyes are beady, but they’re bright. Sometimes they just look hungry, like he’s thinking about devouring me. But other times he looks intelligent, full of life, full of zeal. Sometimes I forget that his life’s goal is to make my life miserable. 
Sometimes I think we might be related. Sometimes I think we might actually be friends.

If I had a... Library

I might have one in every room.

Some will have walls of books
That reach to the ceiling
With ladders I can slide along
Like a character from a movie,
Singing songs at the top of my lungs.





























Some will be small,
Tiny cubbies to crawl inside
With feather down pillows and 
Piles of blankets,
The kind of cozy place 
I tried to hide as a little girl




There will be books by chairsJust in case I need A place to sitWhile I drink my teaAnd read.

And books by bedsFor those mornings whenI open my eyes And only want to reach out my handTo touch a story's spine.

Books by bathtubsFor hot water with bubblesWhile soaking in words.



And books by the tableto feed our minds andOur mouths.



Some day I might even find a way to take the library with me...