Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart
On October 8, 2016 from noon – 4:00 p.m., the Stratford, CT Public Library is participating in the Indie Author Day, a nationwide event designed to bring local writers together to share information. It’s open to the public, and there will readings from local authors and a panel of industry experts. The afternoon concludes with a book signing event, where you’ll be able to find me with copies of ELIXIR BOUND!
If you’re local, I’d love to see you there!
Between family times these last few weeks and deadlines for my freelance writing, I’ve been too busy to write. But I’m back at it this morning with some edits on my WIP, getting it ready to submit to Pitch Wars. Wish me luck!
My actual work space this morning. What are you up to on this hump day?
I’m an ideas person. There are so many things out in the world and in my own private world that inspire me. But instead of inundating you with a huge, random list of things that I’m currently feeling inspired by, I thought I’d drop one little ripple of inspiration in the inkwell each week in the month of July.
This a song that my whole family is loving right now called “Ophelia” by The Lumineers. The Prince makes requests for it, and I even overhead him singing it to himself in bed one night. “O-o-phelia…” The Boy claims he’s getting sick of it, but I think he still enjoys it. They both like to point out how in the video the guy dances in the street and that’s not safe!
It’s inspired a really solid story idea for a future novel. It’s a retelling of a very famous work. There will be a hurricane and mental illness and doomed love. I think. I may never write it. I get ideas all the time and whether or not I write it depends on how long it sticks around. So far this one seems to be sticking. Only time will tell, I suppose.
Anyone else digging this song? What’s been inspiring you lately?
#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (July is all about inspiration), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.
The Barnes & Noble B-Fest Teen Book Festival this past weekend was such a great event! So many authors I know and many of my favorites who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person participated in B&N locations all across the country. I was lucky enough to be a part of the event on Sunday at the North Haven store.
The staff totally made me feel like a rock star. They were super accommodating, supportive, and helpful. My day started at noon with a book talk about ELIXIR BOUND. Anyone who knows anything about how I got started writing knows it’s a sad story about the death of my sister Kylene.
To counterbalance the sad part of my writing journey, I brought along some of my old writings (and illustrations). They included a series of picture books inspired by IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illusatrated by Felicia Bond, a short novel I wrote in elementary school, a saucy journal from high school filled with stories of old boyfriends (though I didn’t share any of those stories directly!), a high school newspaper that I both wrote for and edited, and a feature from a stint working for a regional newspaper while in college.
After my talk and book signing, I had a little downtime. But I had a few friends and family that stopped by to say “Hi,” so that kept me busy while I signed stock for the store. If anyone in the area is looking for signed copies of ELIXIR BOUND, the North Haven, CT Barnes & Noble has some!
Then it was time for Tara Sullivan, author of GOLDEN BOY and THE BITTER SIDE OF SWEET, to talk about her books and writing process, which was like listening to a fascinating civics lesson on albinism and the dark truth of where chocolate comes from. Tara and I met at the NESCBWI conference earlier this spring, and it was really nice catching up with her and hearing about her books.
Finally it was time for the B-Creative event Barnes & Noble set up, which was a writing workshop about creating log lines and pitches. It was geared towards teens, but we had a few great adult participants as well. And I’m pretty sure everyone went home with a prize!
Overall a hugely successful event all around. I’m excited about doing future books events here. Did anyone else participate in the B-Fest? I’d love to hear how it went!
I’m very pleased to have Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi on the blog today. They are the duo behind one of my favorite writing resources The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression, among other writing books. And they’re at it again with their latest books on setting. Welcome, ladies!
As we write, we can become consumed by the plot, by the story events that sizzle with conflict, tension, and intrigue. But what often holds readers in thrall are our characters and how they grow and change. Who they evolve into, what fears they push past, how they take on pain to reach fulfillment regardless of the challenges—all of these steps in the character’s journey, combined with the plot, can create a fascinating trek through the pages of a novel.
And yet there’s another element that’s needed to meld the story and character arc together: the setting. Choosing the right one for each scene is critical to give deeper meaning to the character’s inner and outer journeys. The right setting can symbolize our protagonists’ goals, remind them of their past, steer their choices through emotional triggers, and lend them the strength to soldier on, no matter what opposition stands in their way. But what if “the right setting choice” is one we haven’t experienced ourselves first hand? How do we describe it?
Well, there’s some good news on that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds that a character might experience within 225 different contemporary settings. And this is only the start of what these books offer writers.
In fact, swing by and check out this hidden entry, HOUSE PARTY, a location from the Rural Setting Thesaurus volume.
Becca and Angela, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, are celebrating their double release with a fun event going on from June 13-20th called ROCK THE VAULT. At the heart of Writers Helping Writers is a tremendous vault, and these two ladies have been hoarding prizes of epic writerly proportions.
Ready to do your part? Stop by Writers Helping Writers to find out more!
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