#NaNoWriMo

In which @StoryBy_Sasha writes a blog post instead of adding to her WIP's word count...

 Did I mention that I have TWO WIPs...?

Happy November, Lads & Lassies! So many fun things are happening this month. Let's see...

1. The humid weather in Savannah, Georgia has cooled down considerably.
2. It is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)!
3. Authoress, aka Miss Snark's First Victim, is anonymous no more! Gasp!
4. YALLFEST
5. Did I mention NaNoWriMo??? Oh, I did? Okay...

"Georgia is very green," Wyatt Earp.

That is a Doc Holiday quotation from the film Wyatt Earp and it is very true. We don't get the whole spectrum of amazing colors down here in Savannah, but autumn is my favorite and I will take as much of it as I can get.

How green is it here? Well, I'll show you.

I am indeed participating in NaNoWriMo 2017. I have two young adult fantasy novels in the works and the nice thing about being in the unfortunate predicament of having two WIPs is variety. If I'm stuck on one, I can always work on the other.

I think the only reason I'm not completely insane yet is that both novels are in third-person present tense. Present tense is new to me as a writer (not as a reader), but I've decided I really like the immediacy of it.

UPDATE (11/7/2017 - I had the great honor of participating in the USVIPubFund auction to benefit the storm-torn US Virgin Islands and was the highest bidder for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have an incredible award-winning author critique some of my pages! She questioned my use of third-person present tense for one of my WIPs, which has me questioning it, too! Ruh-roh. )

So, have I made any progress with word count at all? Sure. It is day 6 of November and I have about 26,000 words in the WIP that seems to have the most of my attention this month.

If you know anyone else participating in NaNoWriMo, please ENCOURAGE them. Writing is a very solitary endeavor. It is full of rejection. For every best seller an author writes, there are countless manuscripts in their closets that didn't make the cut.

Speaking of encouragement... Have you been to the Miss Snark's First Victim blog lately?

I began writing for publication in 2009. It all started with the short fantasy story THE PHOENIX CROSSROADS. I sent it out for four months. I believe I got 3 rejections and a rewrite request. After four months I was ready to quit. Forever. The fifth market was Silverthought online, which gave me my first acceptance, my first paid publication, and went on to publish my second short story as well.

You know in your gut when a re-write request is valid. Often they are, but sometimes you just have to hang in there and keep the faith.

I say all that to say this:

...Since my journey began in 2009, there has only been one blogger I've followed consistently and that has been Authoress over at misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com Authoress is a wealth of encouragement. She provides us with a community. She allows for us to critique each other, strengthen each other, and even find our "happily ever after" with her great contests that often end in representation for some authors.

If you haven't visited her blog for a while, you're going to want to remedy that. Authoress is anonymous no longer! Her real story (parts two and three especially) had me in tears. What a journey!

UPDATE (11/8/2017 - I love getting to know Jill the Authoress better. She's active on Twitter and sharing so much on her blog this month. During the reveal I've been dying to ask whatever happened to her WIP about dragons. Today, without my asking, she answered this unspoken question. I'm dying with glee. Dragon WIP a.k.a. Jillian Boehm's GATHERING STORM is a book-baby at long last! Her due date is Summer 2019. Jill has a two-book deal with Tor Teen! *screams*)

During the Authoress Reveal festivities I even won a critique! That means I'll have solid feedback on each of my two WIPs this month. I'm feeling quite blessed.

*ahem*

My last bit of news is also encouraging in a way. I will be at YALLFEST for the second year in a row. This year I'm dying to meet Laini Taylor and Stephanie Garber! I am very excited. I get on the road with two of my best friends in three days. All my books are packed...but none of my clothes are. Teehee.

I can say this with certainty -- My nails are ready for YALLFEST.

CURRENTLY READING:

I am reading CROOKED KINGDOM the exciting sequel of SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo. I love Kaz Brekker. I think everyone does. But my book boyfriend is definitely Matthias Hevlar. If you know any spoilers about him, keep them to yourself!!! The lovely Ms Bardugo will also be at YALLFEST, but the line for her autograph was easily the longest of the festival last year. I'm not sure what to expect this time!

TBR:

I'm a slow reader. Its a curse. But I'm hoping next to tackle SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley and THE LAST NAMSARA by Kristen Ciccarelli.


CURRENTLY PLAYING:

I'm a big gamer. My former addiction was PARAGON, but lately I can be found as my human rogue, Ash, on DRAGONAGE: INQUISITION. Maybe next year I'll consider jumping on the DESTINY 2 bandwagon. I played the Beta and enjoyed it very much.   


CURRENTLY WATCHING:

STRANGER THINGS 2 was everything I wanted and more. I'm intensely proud of the little Netflix series that could. I can't wait to catch THOR: RAGNAROK. I also recently binged the Norwegian series: OCCUPIED.


CURRENTLY WRITING:

Bakar throws a fleece blanket at him. It hits him square in the face, then falls around him, draping him completely. Enclosed thus, Imperious feels his clammy breath bounce warmly back onto his bearded face.

Footfalls retreat.
Bakar has left him to die.

Drinking may be dying by the drop, but abstaining feels like dying, too.

Footfalls regress. Bakar pulls the blanket away from Imperious’ face, swaddles his shoulders in it, and uses it as leverage to heave the heavier man into a sitting position. Imperious is still gently shivering.

“I suppose you’ve had nothing to eat, too,” Bakar complains. “I see vomiting in your future, you reckless cad.”

Bakar has something in his hand, something that smells of fire. Fire and sugar. Hell-juice, Bakar called it before. Pacha. While Bakar cradles Imperious’ head, he guzzles several sloppy swallows of the distilled brew, wetting his beard and chest, licking his lips.

When the flagon is empty the shaking subsides into a mild tremor.

“Soup,” Bakar says, rising to his feet, a hand on his hip. “You’ll need a belly-full before I let you have anymore.”

Imperious doesn’t have to look up to see the disappointment on his friend’s cursed face.

“Stay here,” Bakar commands. He drops a metal pail on the floor loudly. “Try not to miss if you empty your stomach.”

Where could I go?
Imperious intends to say this aloud, but doesn't hear his own voice. He's too weak to speak. Too weak to move. 

             

Dreaming of YALLFEST - Notes from November 2016

Happy Summer Solstice, ya'll. That's right. It is summer 2017. I'm booking my trip and making my plans to visit Charleston this fall for my second adventure at YALLFEST (which is happening this November), and yet I am just now getting around to blogging about my first visit to the Young Adult Book Festival, which occurred back in November of 2016 in the beautiful city of Charleston, SC.

Did I have fun at the two day event? Of course! I was as happy as a southern girl with a sweet biscuit! Nom nom nom. On my first night I had the delightful opportunity to stand in a short line and have #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Renee Ahdieh sign my kindle, say hello, and stop graciously for a photo! (I'm on the left and Renee is on the right.) Renee wrote The Wrath and the Dawn, its sequel, The Rose and the Dagger, and the new book, Flame in the Mist. I'm dying to read Fame in the Mist for the simple fact that is involves SAMURAI! *drools*

In The Wrath and the Dawn, daring young Shahrzad gives herself in marriage to the murderous boy-king, Khalid, knowing that he strangles each of his brides on the morning following their weddings. How does she survive? She tells him a story so beguiling that night after night he must learn what happens next. Though her intent is to stop the monster once and for all, what she discovers instead is that she is falling in love with him.

The best thing about YALLFEST was the numerous opportunities to see a diverse bunch of writers in different settings. There were times I wasn't able to meet someone, but I was still able to hear him or her speak, answer questions, and even pose for photos. In one such case, I came face to face with Jay Asher, who has written three novels, one of which is Thirteen Reasons Why, the book, which inspired the intensely binge-able Netflix series of the same name. Jay walked the YALLFEST red carpet at the Charleston Public Library just before giving a great talk with several other well-known writers. The event was packed--standing room only. I stood joyfully for the whole event!

Jay was joined on the red carpet by the divine Libba Bray. The Bram Stoker Award winner has written a whole slew of Young Adult novels, just one of which is Beauty Queens, which holds a very unique brand of dark humor. Its literally a Miss America competition crossed with Lord of the Flies.

Pictured above is a gentleman who would have won the title for most enthusiastic red-carpet-walker. He struck many fun poses and had the shades to match his dark suit. His name is Brenden Reichs and his latest book is called Nemesis. 

YALLFEST spreads itself across several blocks of downtown Charleston, but all of the events are easily within walking distance and some of the locations are super fun. Above you can see blogger (and one of my besties) Flora, meeting the beguiling Alexandra Bracken--where else--in a toy store! We love her Darker Minds series and are super stoked it will become a film! But her newest masterpiece is called Passenger. It's being called an atmospheric time-travel story with a killer ending.

The highlight of Flora's time at YALLFEST was meeting her literary hero, Jennifer L. Armintrout, a super star of YA paranormal romance. Aren't they adorable?? Half-Blood, for instance, is her first book in the Covenant series.

The absolute worst thing that happened to me at YALLFEST was that my besties and I (Flora the fiery Greek pixie, and Seelie the tall, wise fae) stood about dying to win an ARC copy of Roshani Chokshi's A Crown of Wishes and totally walked away empty handed. 

Her first book, The Star-Touched Queen is a total stand-out in the world of new YA fantasy. It is a feast, drenched in delicious descriptions so vivid that you can taste and smell them!

Well, I follow Rosh on Twitter and even though she was not headlining the event she said there was a very good chance she would swing by. I was walking away from the ARC giveaway disappointed and then...there she was, walking around like a normal fangirl. I started stammering and hopping up and down and she was just as cool as a cucumber when I rushed toward her all giddy like. She was super chill and friendly and as she signed things for us, she made sure to introduce us to J.J. ...aka S. Jae Jones. 

WHAT an exciting surprise!!! See that beautiful book pictured with twinkle lights?? Its called WINTERSONG and it is J.J.'s super daring and original first novel based on one of my favorite 80's films of all time...LABYRINTH. Had we known such a crazy happenstance might have occurred, we would have had the good sense to have J.J. sign some books. We hope to see you this year, lady!

Isn't Rosh fabulous? I think she's one of my favorite people, but then, there were so many humble rock stars at YALLFEST. 2016 was a very good year for me. The purple pin on my lapel in the photo was procured at the one and only COMIC-CON in San Diego that summer and the Penguin pin was a freebie from YALLFEST.

Here is the Goodreads description of The Star-Touched Queen:

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

I always tell newbies to the convention scene to choose one or two events you can't live without and plan around those. There is no way you can be everywhere at once, even if friends stand in the line of one event to save a place for you while you stand in another. Often you're in line far in advance, meaning you are missing some events. Most conventions, YALLFEST included, hold multiple events at any given time slot. 

The event I decided I couldn't live without last fall was getting Sabaa Tahir's autograph. Authors usually sign the copies of their books that you bring along, but I asked most of the YALLFEST writers to pretty please sign my kindle cover. I had to wait about an hour to meet Sabaa, but I was near the front of the line and I got to take home one of her giveaways, a character card of my girl, Helene from An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa's dynamite YA fantasy series set in a deadly Middle-Eastern flavored world.

To be so fortunate to wait at the front of Sabaa's line, I had to separate from Flora and Seelie. They kindly took my copy of Shiver to be signed by the one and only Maggie Stiefvater. I was unable to go with them (*cries a little*) so I hope to see her for myself next time. By then I should have a copy of her master work The Raven Boys, so that I can have that signed, too. 

The Raven Boys follows a maybe clairvoyant who sees her first apparition, the spirit of someone soon to die, which is a common occurrence for her mystical family members though it has never happened to her before. She is seeing the vision of him either because he is her one true love or...because she's going to kill him. That makes sense because our poor heroine has always been told by the other clairvoyants that she will certainly kill her one true love. ...Now what??

So, off on my own, hunting desperately for Sabaa's line, I nearly plowed right into the green-haired goddess, Ryan Graudin. I was able to pre-order a signed copy of her first book Wolf by Wolf and pick it up at Blue Bicycle Books, the sponsor of YALLFEST. I was embarrassed, but luckily didn't actually bum-rush Ryan. She remained unharmed, I swear. We later saw her in panel.

The panels were terrific. The DARK FANTASY panel was my favorite. Maggie Stiefvater was there, with Sabaa, and to my great excitement, Jay Kristoff and Kendare Blake.

I cannot say enough about Kendare's book THREE DARK CROWNS. We met her and collected her signature following the panel. It's about a set of triplets, princesses all. To be queen, one must murder her sisters... Kill or be killed. ...Love, love, love. Meet the ill-fated queens, each with a remarkable (deadly) gift, right here.

Did I mention how amazing it was to see Jay Kristoff? The dashing, imposing Aussie wrote Nevernight, among other exciting novels. Goodreads describes it thus: 

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

I won a copy of Rebel of the Sands while in Sabaa's line, too.  

Flora, Seelie and I are dying to meet Leigh Bardugo. It didn't happen last year, so that's our goal for the next YALLFEST! I'm reading Six of Crows now and it is easily one of the best YA fantasy novels I've ever read.