Happy Belated Book Birthday to SOULS ESTRANGED!!!

This past week was momentous because it was the release for the second book of my CP's The Souls Trilogy. Yes, second book. To think that way back in February of 2013, I was reading a draft of the first book. Time really does fly.

My CP Anne is so selfless and supportive, and if you've read this post of mine, then you'll know that she was a driving force behind my completion of HESPERIA. Seriously, if you're drafting a tough book, you want her by your side. We have yet to meet in person, but I know that when I do, I'm going to tackle with the biggest hug.

So without further ado, behold the beauty:

I am so jealous of her covers.

Back from their adventures in Souls Entwined, Sam Daggett begins a new relationship with Gretta Dobbs, whose memories of their time traveling experience have been erased. Determined to never leave her again, Sam vows to help Gretta, despite the bad luck curse on her heirloom ring. Within hours of their return, tragedy strikes. 

As Sam becomes the third victim of the bad luck curse, Gretta’s memories of her time spent in the past begin to return. Unable to remember more than snippets, she realizes that anyone close to her is in grave danger. In order to keep Sam and her family safe, she flees in the middle of the night. 

Finding the perfect summer job in the back hills of Virginia, Gretta unknowingly crosses paths with a serial killer. With guidance from their ancestral spirits, Roxana and Katarina, Sam desperately attempts to find Gretta before the curse strikes again. 



FIND IT HERE: Soulmate Publishing   ●   Amazon   ●   Goodreads

And here's where you can find out more about the first book of the trilogy/get your hands on it:

My Post From Last Year

Soulmate Publishing

Amazon

Goodreads



If you're reading this, congratulations Anne!!! Already bought book two and getting ready to read :)

Post-Manuscript-Completion Thoughts (HESPERIA)

This is VERY overdue. Like, five months overdue. But I remembered that I had a post like this for my NA contemporary IF LIFE WERE FAIR, and I think it's a nice thing, being able to read back on your thoughts about a manuscript.

So here we go. Here are my post-manuscription-completion thoughts for HESPERIA, my YA Fantasy.

Some stats:

Started: sometime around November of 2013
First draft completed: November 2014
Number of times dropped: beyond what I can count

Back when I wrote this post for ILWF, my manuscript numbering system was already starting to get slightly unruly. I considered ILWF my third manuscript completed ever, but I also considered it my second manuscript completed with the goal of publication in mind (as I've mentioned elsewhere, I sent out one query for MS #1 completed ever before realizing that the MS just wasn't anywhere near publishable). So what is HESPERIA, now? MS #4? Or MS #3?

I think I'm going to stop referring to my novels by the numbering system. Maybe every now and then, I'll refer to HESPERIA as my fourth MS ever, but it's starting to get a little hard to keep track of, especially when I think about how I began this journey of mine wondering if I would even be able to churn out a second, let alone a fourth, completed novel.

HESPERIA was definitely a hard one to write. Stylistically, it was different. I hadn't written in first person past in a while, and switching away from the present tense to the past was a bigger transition than I expected. I really believe that the tense you write a novel in makes a big deal. It just gives the story a different feeling, and while I knew I wanted to give first person past a serious try, I wasn't quite sure. Even when I've gotten to chapter 20, I was still playing around with the idea of switching the tense and person-narration of the whole thing. I wrote some chapters in first person present. I even wrote some chapters in third person past. Ultimately, my initial choice--first person past--was the one I stuck with, and I am glad I did because it's one of the things that sets HESPERIA apart from my other novels in feel and means of narration.

Plot-wise, I believe it was more complex that anything else than I've written so far. I'm a very loose outliner, so while I knew there were going to be twists, I didn't expect twist after twist to pop up. There were times where I'd just be on the treadmill in the gym (hah! The days when I still exercised...) and I'd start thinking about how a twist was going to work out, how to even build up to that twist so that it wouldn't seem like I was waving my writerly wand and slapping you in the face. I started to listen to my writing playlist on repeat while doing my miles, just so that I could think about my plot in a better ambience (like, to the sound of epic Two Steps From Hell music rather than the usual gym-sounds of dying people, including myself).

Character-wise, it initially had one of the largest casts I'd ever tackled. Through the drafts, some characters have gotten cut here and there, but there are still a large number of characters, and not just ones that I name-drop or introduce in a couple scenes (as was the case of INGENICIDE and ILWF). No, most of these characters had their own backstories and they wove in and out of the narrative. At the same time, I got really attached to all my characters, which is a surprise. Normally, I'm very attached to my main character and the love interest, and maybe a side character or two. But this time around, I just knew so much about my side characters that I couldn't help but root for them, too.

Luckily, the world came pretty easily to me. I was very inspired by Chinese stories and legends, and Deviantart also provided a lot of the artwork that inspired my visions of the setting.

Mechanical struggles of writing aside, my drafting of HESPERIA came at a time in my life when a lot of things were changing for me. Thus, I had a lot of dry spells, and there were times when I seriously wondered if I'd ever be able to finish the novel. I loved the story and the characters, but as you've seen, it was one of the hardest novels I've attempted to write, and that didn't help how I was generally having a tough time writing. Even when the mood struck, it wasn't one of those stories where I could randomly plant my butt in a chair and write for an hour. It required a lot of thinking and just figuring out how things were going to pan out.

That's why at one full year, it's the novel that has taken the longest to write (and it's also my longest novel, with draft 3 clocking in at 96k). At the same time, I venture to say that it's also one of my cleaner drafts in terms of character development and *most* plot elements. I still had to do some heavy revisions in parts, but overall, I came out of draft #1 pretty satisfied with Hesperia's character arc and her interactions with other characters. Lack of satisfaction in this area factored into my decision to pull ILWF from the query trenches, so I was pretty scared that was going to happen again.

And something else I've noticed? I've improved as a writer. After four novels, this might come as a given, but it's taken a long time for me to accept. I'm with my writing every day, and just like it's hard to notice changes in yourself until someone who hasn't seen you in a while comments, it's hard for me to see sometimes how I'm gradually getting better.

But I am. In a way, HESPERIA was sort of a turning point for me--I've never given up on a novel that I've seriously committed to in terms of finishing, but this one time I found myself on a precipice. I didn't fall, and now I'm ready to tackle my fifth novel.

*Thinking about HESPERIA makes me sort of sentimental. It really couldn't have happened without the support I've received from all my writerly friends. Thank you, Rivka and Deborah, for taking the time to read some of the rougher stuff and being excited about the work. Thank you, Molly, for honing it into the draft that it is today. Thank you to the boyfriend who didn't run off in fright when I asked him if he could  read the rough manuscript to me aloud (and thanks for putting up with all those conversations regarding the novel).  

And lastly, thank you, Anne, for sticking with the story despite the month's of silence and being the kindest, most generous cheerleader you are. I churned out some of those chapters thinking this might be the last--I can't write another, but then you would demand more, and I really couldn't turn you down.

With that, I'll finish with some of the art that inspired some of the scenes in the novel:

by Fel-X

by pictsy

by TylerEdlinArt

by JJcanvas

by Exphrasis

Tis the season for cover reveals!!!!!!!!

And I give you the cover of my second and equally fantabulous CP's debut novel, SOULS ENTWINED!!!!

Souls Entwined

Coming April 30^th from Soul Mate Publishing

A Paranormal Romantic Suspense

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS COVER. SO. MUCH. Everything from the detailing on the dagger to the flourishes on the S to the background color...jfkdajflajfdklahfajhdfa. After journeying with Anne from draft to publication, I can wholeheartedly say that she deserved this cover 200%.

COVER REVEAL FOR THE FANTABULOUS NOVEL OF MY EPICALLY AMAZING CRITIQUE PARTNER

(Annnnddd I know it's been ages since I've posted. I'm sorry :( Life has been overwhelming but in a wonderful way. I do hope to get back into the regular groove of blogging soon, so bear with me!)

So that's a long title...but I mean every word of it.

A little more than a year ago, I was a complete newbie writer as in I didn't have a CP (critique partner) for my then-finished manuscript. I did a bit of research and trolled around some sites and somehow, the stars managed to align and the amazing Deborah Krieser reached out to me and my other CP, Anne B. Cole. 

We went through the usual and conventional CP match-up process of emailing each other about ourselves and swapping some of our work.

Did it work out?

Giving Thanks

Before I go out last-minute food shopping and disappear beneath mounds and mounds of potatoes, I wanted to hit the pause button for a moment (PAUSE, Nanowrimo!) and take this fitting morning to say thanks.

Thank you, fanfiction readers (and I PROMISE that I will finished that 140k fic). Without you, I would have never realized that I could write a novel.

Thank you, Deviantart. Without you, I would have lost touch with my artsy peers and likewise lost my source of inspiration. 

Thank you, Suzanne Collins and Lauren Destefano. Without you, I would have never discovered the beauty of first person present POV. 

Call for readers (and I will accept my limits)

***BEFORE YOU READ, DISCLAIMER!!! I am not breaking up with any existing or pre-promised partnerships. So no fear!***

Back when I was young and editing INGENICIDE (haha, just kidding!), I honestly wondered how the heck was I supposed to get people to read my MS? Therefore, whenever anyone offered, it felt just as exhilarating as...getting a full request. So in order to show my appreciation, I'd offer to swap, because why should I expect someone to read my MS without giving something back in return?

Slowly, it's beginning to dawn on me that I can't do that anymore. Between life, reading the works of my critique group, writing my own stuff, and trying to catch up on those MS's that I'd promised to crit, I have to come out honestly and say that I've bitten off more than I can chew. As much as I try to be an infallible, generous critter, I've realized that I can't continue to let this image get in the way of my actual abilities. Not only is that stressful for me (because I want to be able to read all the MS's in the world and I want to crit every single one), more importantly it's not fair to those whom I have promised a critique swap, who have to wait months and months without any feedback.

No longer can I promise to keep to the critique for a critique system. And I apologize profusely for that. I wish that I didn't have these limits because I owe so much to each and every person who takes the time to read my writing. Because without all of you, I wouldn't have improved as much as I have.

Because of my respect for all of you, I can't keep on overestimating the extent of my abilities.

Thinking all of this through has helped me come to terms with the fact that I can't maintain a critique partnership with everyone (although I'd really, really love to), that I have to accept the fact that there are simply readers out there who just want to enjoy the MS and do not expect a critique in return.

And so I now I post my call for all beta readers interested in reading and providing oh-so-helpful feedback on the second pass of my newly finished MS, IF LIFE WERE FAIR.

Genre: Upper YA/NA Contemporary (with medium romantic element)
Word Count: 58,000
Status: Complete--version 2
Query:

Idle from her gap year before college and cynical from running the hamster wheel of binge eating and exercising, eighteen-year-old Bernie Lisel receives an ultimatum from her mother: get a job or lose the credit card. 

Easier said than done.

Waitressing at the fancy French bistro in Manhattan is just what Bernie doesn’t need on her plate. But in the name of money to supply her binges, she’ll take it. Even if that means installing an edit button on her perpetually snarking mouth and trying not to mix up vanilla cream and tartar sauce. Gradually, Bernie learns the ropes and begins to bond with a crew of optimistic and quirky coworkers. And then there’s Luke Wells, assistant chef and a sophomore at Columbia. Selfless and diligent to a fault, he might also be the best listener to people's problems in the entire universe. Perhaps that’s why Bernie feels equal parts exposed and guarded around him.

But when Luke is diagnosed with stage III stomach cancer and refuses treatment, Bernie suddenly discovers that she’s not the only one with a secret to keep. Putting aside her eating disorder to help Luke with a turbulent family past, she orchestrates a journey to his home state of Montana. As the 2,400 miles whittle down, the last question on Bernie’s mind is of her own recovery. She only wonders if she can accomplish for Luke what she never could for herself—breaking the self-fulfilling cycle of resignation.

If you are interested, please comment with your email OR email me at joanart6 AT gmail DOT com. And if I haven't said this already, seriously, you guys are the best. I'm sorry for this being such a downer post. If you do decide that you'd like to be a beta for ILWF, I really appreciate it. I completely understand how busy everyone is, which is why the writing community continues to surprise me with its awesomeness. 

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

PART 1

SHOUT OUT to my CP, the lovely Deborah Kreiser, for tagging me in this post! If you've read my WIP page, then there is some crossing over, but keep on reading for other goodies.

What is the working title of your book?
INGENICIDE. It used to be called THE ORDOCIDE, but I realized I had a problem when I kept on getting tongue twisted and saying THE ODORCIDE instead. Good rule of thumb for titles: make sure you as an author have no trouble pronouncing the title :D

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
16 year-old Space Manipulator Sibyl Kenschild has only been trained to design the best rooms, but when discontent Normals start massacring the prodigies, she'll have to pull all tricks to survive.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Agency or die. Just kidding :) But I really am aiming for getting an agent. Probably agency or shelving for now.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the first chapter in November (didn't do Nanowrimo though because I found that I actually need to take my time to write or else I get a complete, rewrite-worthy mess that it still too daunting for me to handle. Then from November to the end of February I wrote sporadically (I am in a period of my life when I have many high stakes to juggle), finishing after four months with 60k. I know, not impressive :(

What genre does your book fall under?
YA...I really want to call it a socio-political adventure but HAH, there's no such genre. I guess...sci-fi? With the lightest touch of dystopian?

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Many things! I will list them because without lists I am one of the most scatterbrained people you will ever meet.
1. MS #1- I refer to my first novel frequently because I've learned so much from it from all the things that did not work. My writer friends used to always say that I was great at writing description, but never did they comment on my action scenes. I don't blame them--I had no action scenes. Um, MS #1 didn't really have a conflict. Once I got over the grief of shoving it onto the back burner, I told myself that I would surprise myself and my reader buddies. I would write the inciting incident in the very first chapter, keep a tight grip on the pacing, and refrain from describing unnecessary details.
2. My Own Life- Yuck, right? I know, real life is often very boring in comparison to the infinite boundaries of the fiction world (check out my post on Real Life in Fiction). Because of that, you should never be afraid to write what you don't know VICE VERSA you should never confine yourself only to the subjects that you DO know. At the same time, there will always be something magical about the writing that flows out of you when you are writing about a subject that you are familiar with, even if it is just a related emotion or a sensation. For example. I'd basically trained since the age of six to become a professional artist. I drew about 1,000 pencil sketch eggs and many more color studies. I won a national gold for a larger drawing:

My parents spent a lot of time driving me to and from art class. I reckon I spent most of my odd childhood focused on this one skill. Then, high school hit, and I suddenly realized that I loved art, but I didn't LOVE art. I didn't love it enough to actually pursue it as a profession, to take daunting risks, to potentially starve. And for a job such as professional art, you really do need to love it. Otherwise, you will have no fuel for your mad creativity. Anyway, when this epiphany hit, my world turned up-side down. Suddenly, I felt aimless. I felt as if I have wasted so many years and the hopes of my parents. I wondered if there was something wrong with me--maybe I was just hitting a "wall". Maybe this was the hurdle I had to pass in order to unlock my full potential. Maybe I was just being a typical teen, wanted to break out of the path that had been drawn for me and explore. Whatever the reason, I felt like I had failed, and that feeling sometimes still chases me to this day. I keep asking myself: Is it right for me to waste a talent by not seeing it to the very end? So I took this element of "prodigy" and decided to weave it into the core of my story.

That's it for PART 1 of the post (I spewed a bit so I'm breaking it up into 2 parts to make the reading more manageable :D).  One of the best things about the writing community is that everyone is united against the forces of rejection/editing/drafting/writer's block/fill-in-your-choice-of-poison that we all look out for each other. So thank you Deb again for tagging me in this blog hop. Now I pass on the goblet! Go check out these whimsically fantastic writers and I will tell you "I told you so" when they become the next big thing:

Elyse Guziewicz
Avon

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR PART 2--CASTING AND MORE!