Debut Dabbles 3.5 Weeks Out

Before (and after) I got my book deal, I always wondered what it was like the last few weeks before a book came out. So, I thought I'd put it down here in vloggish form for posterity.

So here is the second report, recorded yesterday, 3.5 weeks before my book release and about a month before my book launch. Feel free to mock how badly I fail at this whole vlogging thing. :)

So there you have it. That's what I've been doing this week. What about you?

Stop by Elana Johnson's blog today! Read her review/interview about Insomnia and enter to win a NOOK HD in my Insomnia Pre-order Giveaway!

Craziness, Early Release & Final Copies!!

Today is twenty-seven days until the release of Insomnia and official madness has ensued.

We have the Insomnia Pre-Order Nook HD Giveaway going on. Also, I spent the weekend at Storymakers Conference which is always great.

So that's all awesome and amazing...

And then --

Amazon sent out an email to some of those that pre-ordered earliest, that they moved up their expected delivery date for Insomnia to THIS FRIDAY.

 

The cat is my fave, watch for him... :)

So, yeah...no big deal...just apparently that my book will be sent out to some of you as early as THIS WEEK! *cue sound of my head exploding here*

**Sidenote -- this will not alter the pre-order giveaway. Anyone ordering (with receipt dated) before the close of contest date on May 31st will be eligible to win whether the book is sent immediately or not.**

Oh, and if that wasn't enough, on Saturday, I came home from the conference to finished copies of Insomnia!!

Guys, I know this sounds weird knowing the creepy nature of the cover and all that, but these are gorgeous. They're done in matte with all the cracks out from the eye and the title glossy, it's incredible. Flux has really outdone themselves. I was blown away. This picture here is of the cover flat so you can see the whole thing, and even so, the pic doesn't do it justice, but you might be able to see a little bit of what I'm talking about here:

See how the lines kind of shine with the light? Plus, you can see his whole face better with the cover flat. It's so freaking cool!! :)

Anyway -- SO MUCH HAPPY FLAILING!!

Anything new with you? :)

Forging Fridays - Just a Smidge

Today is our sixteenth Forging Fridays Query! Wow...sixteen, this year is flying by. Yay! We love volunteers! As stated before, I won't be revealing the identities of the volunteers for Forging Fridays unless otherwise requested. If you feel like unmasking yourselves in the comments, be my guest. But, I won't mention anyone by name.

Here is our next volunteer! *applause* *cheers* *confetti*

~~~~

Dear [agent]

It was the day 12-year-old Jeremy Miner had dreaded for years. The day when the list of boys at St. Edith’s school finally dwindled to one: him. this is super cute. but after reading the next paragraph, I don't think you need it. You'll see what I mean.

I'd consolidate these two paragraphs and to be honest... I'd probably move this part to the top it's a stronger opening. Start with "12-year-old Jeremy Miner had a girl problem" and go on from there and then make the last line "and after an experiment in going coed fails, Jeremy is the only boy left". This is really cute and has great voice. I can practically hear him groaning. Because Jeremy had a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. Four hundred and seventy-five of them. That’s how many girls attend St. Edith’s, after a failed experiment in going coed left the school with a diminishing roster of boy students.

When the second-to-last boy transfers, Jeremy realizes he needs to escape -- but his stressed-out single mother will never let him transfer, since the scholarship he has as the son of a school employee is the only reason she can afford to send him to private school at all. So he and his best friend Claudia hatch a plan to get him expelled through a series of escalating pranks designed to stir things up at the normally staid St. Edith's, involving armies of garden gnomes, doctored doorknobs, and a late-night snow masterpiece.  But when his pranks start to have unexpected consequences he begins to question if he's misjudged his school, his friends and himself all along. This all sounds great, I'd recommend adding just that extra punch of voice in this paragraph that you have in the previous ones and I think you're golden. Currently, this one reads a bit more like a synopsis than the rest of it and you want to carry that same voice throughout.

THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH'S is a 46,000 word contemporary realistic middle grade novel a set in the private schools and old mill towns of Western Massachusetts. I'm a Redacted

Thank you,

Redacted

So...pretty much this is awesome already. Just a few minor tweaks to make it even better. :) Hope this helps and good luck!

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Okay, that's it for today and this query. Thank you so much for volunteering, oh mystery writer! :) I really hope this helped you. It takes guts to send in a query, to me or an agent. Go you! You have awesome guts! :)

So, what do you guys think? Agree or disagree with my assessments? Discuss! May we all be tougher and stronger thanks to our days in the fire.

Debut Dabbles 5 Weeks Out

Before (and after) I got my book deal, I always wondered what it was like the last few weeks before a book came out. So, I thought I'd put it down here in vloggish form for posterity.

So here is the first report, recorded almost 5 weeks before my book release and about 6 weeks before my book launch. Feel free to mock how badly I fail at this whole vlogging thing. :)

And don't forget to stop over and enter to

Win a NookHD in the Insomnia Pre-order Giveaway! 

INSOMNIA NookHD Giveaway!

It is just over one month until the release of Insomnia.

Yes...seriously...

I think it's high time we give something awesome away, don't you? Yeah...that's what I thought. :)

So, here is the deal. Insomnia is up for pre-order all over the place for between $7.15 and $9.99. You pre-order a copy from the retailer of your choice, because we all know you want to--and even if you don't, I'm going to pretend you do because I'm delusional and I like it that way--after you pre-order, you can...

Enter to win a NookHD 16GB tablet w/blue case! 

($250 value)

I know what you're thinking..."But Jenn! I already pre-ordered my copy of Insomnia!" Fear not...that still counts. And it's even better for you, because you don't have to spend any additional money and you can still win the Nook!

Huzzah!

I'm sure right about now you're feeling like this guy:

But try to remain calm, it keeps the mouse from slipping out of your hands and injuring innocent bystanders. I know this from experience...

Don't ask. 

This giveaway is going through the end of May and once you put in your pre-order entry, there are other cool ways to earn bonus entries (like tweeting). I also have some awesome authors who are helping me out by hosting giveaway stops, so stay tuned for those. Here is a little more info on what Insomnia is about in case you need a refresher.

Here are a few places you can pre-order:

B&N ~ BAM ~ Amazon ~ Indiebound ~ The Book Depository

And for those planning to attend my book launch on June 18th (I LOVE YOU!), you can pre-order Insomnia on The King's English site now, check the "pick up at the store" option and it will be there for you at the launch party! Or if you'd like your copy signed and sent to you, just specify in the special order comments section on TKE's site and we'll make it happen.

Thank you so much for your support. Seriously, every single book purchase helps and I'm humbled by my amazing family, friends and fans. You are the best!

Now go! Buy! Enter! Win! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Epic Insomnia Dare of 2013

In honor of the impending release (37 days) of my debut novel, Insomnia, *cue hyperventilating in 3--2--1--* I wanted to do something fun.

And in this case, fun = 3 things.

~ Friends
~ Prizes (up for grabs will be signed YA books!)
~ A Good Cause (donations to help find a cure for Diabetes!)

Yep, hanging out, giving stuff away, and curing bad diseases -- It's what I do best.

So...I have challenged Elsie Chapman (author of kick-butt YA Novel, DUALED) to an INSOMNIA-OFF! Or as I like to call it,

The Epic Insomnia Dare of 2013 

Details: Starting this Sunday night, May 5 at 11pm (Pacific), Elsie and I will be taking on the Insomnia Dare.

Rules: Um...we don't get to sleep...duh. The winner is the last one awake and they shall be dubbed Queen of the Insomniacs and everyone must refer to her as She Who Needs Not Sleep. The loser must lavish the winner with praise for a full 24 hours and refer to themselves as The Peon.

~IF~

we both make it past the 4am mark, then we're both declared winners and receive the title and everyone who doesn't join in shall be The Peons!

Muahahahahaa...ha...hmm...

Statistics: On top of the regular and much-anticipated trash-talk, there will be hourly check-ins where we report these stats for the last hour:

* number of yawns
* words written (oh yes, we'll be writing. Probably not well, but we'll be writing)
* number of caffeinated beverages consumed
* $ amount donated to The Swear Jar

Awesome Side Note: We and our fellow Friday the Thirteeners have each put $5 into said Swear Jar. At the end of the Insomnia Dare, the total amount in the jar will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, because finding cures = very cool.

Want To Play?
Follow our progress and chat with us on twitter!  We'll be using #InsomniaDare. You can donate your Swear Jar to the JDRF (If you do, tell us and we'll send you a shout out in our reporting post on Tuesday)!

Join in and stay up late with us! You too can compete for the title!

Tweet us your best "Exhausted Pic" for a chance to win a Signed ARC of INSOMNIA and a Signed copy of DUALED! 

And stop by our Friday the Thirteeners blog on Tuesday for a rundown of how the dare went. We'll announce the winner, post pics from our experience and giveaway the books!

Don't forget to use #InsomniaDare

So what do you think? Do you dare to play?

Forging Fridays - Middles Matter

Today is our fifteenth Forging Fridays Query! Wow...fifteen, this year is flying by. Yay! We love volunteers! As stated before, I won't be revealing the identities of the volunteers for Forging Fridays unless otherwise requested. If you feel like unmasking yourselves in the comments, be my guest. But, I won't mention anyone by name.

Here is our next volunteer! *applause* *cheers* *confetti*

~~~~

            ANCIENT GRAVITY, a contemporary young adult fantasy is complete at 107,000 words. I flinch at over 100k words, but I know in the fantasy area it is done, so if you're certain you've trimmed all the fat, then carry on. :)

            Being the center of a Mayan prophecy can be tricky, especially when you don’t know if you’re the good guy or the bad guy. Strong opening! My only concern here is that "if you're the good guy or the bad guy" weakens it a bit. I'd recommend finding a way to rephrase it.

            When Shea Chapman finally gives into temptation what temptation? What's tempting her about it? Give us a hint of who she is by showing her motivation here and trespasses onto the sacred Warrior Spires in the Black Hills of South Dakota, she crosses into an ancient land. So when you mention an ancient land and then this capitalized proper noun, I thought this was the name of the ancient land. I'd rework this and tell us a detail about the land. It's the setting and will matter. When you say ancient land, are we talking about Mayans again? Is this a time-travelling situation? We need more info here. Not necessarily all of it, but some of these questions should be answered. Kalem, a warrior who guards his tribe from the outside world, spares her life Why was he supposed to kill her?despite his honor bound oath.

            There is something beyond her interest in Kalem that pulls Shea into his forgotten world. She discovers that the thousand-year-old tribe living there is dying, and they’re desperate to restore the power that keeps them alive. If she can’t discover the truth of the prophecy before it falls into the wrong hands, then Kalem won’t be the only one who wants to steal her heart. . .  literally. You have a strong ending here, too, but in the middle we're straying a bit. 

Your first line and last line have great voice, everything in between falls a bit. I think this is because the motivations are missing for everything that happens. Why is she tempted? Tell us more about her. Why does he spare her? Tell us more about him. We know she has interest in him, but we don't know what it ties to--physical chemistry? Intense fascination with forgotten cultures? We don't know. Give us a closer look at your characters here and I think your voice will naturally come with that. This is a great and unique concept, you're only a couple steps away from a killer query! :) Good luck!

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Okay, that's it for today and this query. Thank you so much for volunteering, oh mystery writer! :) I really hope this helped you. It takes guts to send in a query, to me or an agent. Go you! You have awesome guts! :)

So, what do you guys think? Agree or disagree with my assessments? Discuss! May we all be tougher and stronger thanks to our days in the fire.