OUR FIRST GIVEAWAY!

Today is our first giveaway here at WritersByTheShore! What are we celebrating? How about everything! Summer is just about here, the weekend is upon us, and we've made it through our first month blogging with very few hitches!

We are giving away an ARC of Altered by Jennifer Rush. You can read about it here. The book isn't coming out until January 2013, but it sounds amazing! So - if you would like to be one of the very first to read this debut novel, just 1) be a follower of our blog and 2) leave a comment and tell us who your favorite YA author is or what YA book you love most. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact the winner as well. This giveaway is limited to US residents, but be sure to check back for other events available to everyone around the globe!

Easy, right? Comment away, and we will pick a winner next week to give everyone time to join in on the fun!

THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS BEA 2012!

I had the amazing opportunity to attend BEA in New York City this year. Words cannot describe the incredible energy that beats in that place! It is truly a booklover’s Heaven on Earth. If you ever have the chance to go, even for one day like I did, do it. It’s amazing. Tons of publishers set up booths where they showcase their titles and have author signings. A long, long row of tables is set up with timed signings for other authors. The place is loaded with agents, editors, authors, publishers, booksellers, buyers, bloggers, and other industry professionals checking the latest things out. And the best part? BOOKS ARE FREE!!!! I got my hands on forty books in just a few hours! Many are ARCs that aren’t published yet. It’s great spending the day with people that love books as much as we do.

And this year, I got to meet my wonderful publisher, Spencer Hill Press, along with many of their authors and editors. What an incredible group of people! We had author signings at our booth and gave out ARCs such as:

We chatted with people. We made friends. We got books:

We had FUN!

Next year, I will be signing my debut YA novel, Triangles, at the Spencer Hill Press booth. Even though it’s a year away, I’m already excited.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 4 - Thursday, June 6, 2013. It’s sure to be awesome!

Kimmy :)

TRIANGLES, Kimberly Ann Miller, Spencer Hill Press, June 2013

What I learned at the NJSCBWI Annual Conference

This weekend the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators had its annual conference. It was a three day affair filled with workshops, critiques, inspirational keynote speakers and book fairs that took me from high highs (Love your character! She is so well developed.) to low lows (You overwrite! What does your character really want?) and gave me the super power to say no (more) to coffee.  Along the way, I learned a few things…

Say hello. Conferences, especially, those as big as the NJSCBWI one, can be intimidating. Everyone seems to be chatting with everyone else and it’s easy to become a wallflower or a chair warmer. Make friends. Attendees at the conference are writers following their dreams. Just like you. Simply say hello and you may meet your next critique partner or beta reader.

Critiques are opinions. Take them with a grain of salt. I know you’ve heard this many times but it bears repeating. You need to pick and choose what you are going to change about your manuscript. The temptation to accept every suggestion that a senior editor recommends can be too much. An unusually tough critique can bring you down. In the end, it comes down to how well you are practicing your craft. Are you committed to becoming a better writer? Do you have faith in yourself and your story? Whatever I write in my feedback comments as a critique or whatever an agent writes can only be validated by you.

Your work is not perfect. That’s OK! Is your ‘conceit’ original? Does your story make sense? Are your characters well developed? Do you have a voice? If yes, then throw yourself into the process of pitching, submitting, and of course, revising.

Finally, don’t forget to submit your work! Polish up your query and those first fifteen pages that the editor discussed with you, paste them in the body of your email and hit the send button as soon as you can!

Good luck at your conferences!

The Use of Commas in Lists - The Serial Comma

The use of the comma eludes many people and I’m not immune to demise due to commas. I have a bone to pick with them. They caused me quite a stir when I returned to college and was forced to spend hours upon hours in the English help lab learning about those pesky creatures. Some things were practically beaten into my head as a result. Still, all these years later, I fight with commas.

I grew up with the understanding, and had it drilled into my brain in later years, that when writing a list you separate all items with a comma. Even during student teaching I taught fourth graders a lesson on commas in lists. I was taught that lists should look like the following.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=303

“The colors of the American flag are red, white, and blue.”

Simple and straight forward.

Then my daughter came home not long ago and informed me that the comma after white is no longer necessary. What?!?! Are they trying to confuse me and drive me insane? Yes, I’m convinced that whoever it is in charge of comma rules is trying to make me loony.

So the sentence should read: “The colors of the American flag are red, white and blue.”

And, it’s not just my daughter saying this. I run across it all the time. I have several critique partners who insist on doing it this “new” way. Although, is it really new?

To make matters worse I asked my daughter if she’s still being taught this way and she replied, “Honestly, it depends on the teacher.” Then she added that her current English teacher says that technically it should read, “The colors of the American flag are red, white, blue.” Arrggghhhh! 

                                                                                                                         

So, I did some digging. Yup, I dusted off my Strunk & White and Eats Shoots & Leaves books, literally.  Both books agree on one thing and call this comma the “serial comma.” After that, they take different routes.

In Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style they conclude that indeed a list would read as, “The colors of the American flag are red, white, and blue.” That is unless it is in reference to a business firm, like say, “Bharathan, Miller & De Palma.” The comma would be left off after Miller.

In Lynne Truss’s Eats Shoots and Leaves book she says that it’s more common in American English to write, “The colors of the American flag are red, white, and blue.” Likewise, in British English it’s more likely to write it, “The colors of the American flag are red, white and blue.” And there are people in both countries that do it the opposite way of their respective language.

So, really are we talking new vs. old, or British vs. American?

Are you confused? Because, I’m still lost on this one.

Your Turn –> What are your thoughts on this serial comma?

Sketcher Girl Studios Grand Opening

GRAND OPENING!!!!

Tomorrow is the day that Sketcher Girl Studios, LLC officially opens for business!

In celebration of this momentous event, Vic Caswell (owner/operator) is hosting a give-a-way.
Using the "Contact Us" form; on the site, send her the secret word from the end of this post and you'll be entered to win.

Sketcher Girl Studios is a freelance illustration company with a focus on book cover design.  Vic Caswell has produced the covers of Emily White's debut novel ELEMENTAL;, as well as it's sequel; FAE (release date not announced yet), and Kimberly Ann Miller's debut novel TRIANGLES; (releasing June 2013).

SGStudios is passionate about books and getting them out there and into the hands of the readers who will love them.  Vic will read your book.  She will work with you to ensure that the design you end up with is something you love.  She doesn't use stock photography, so you are guaranteed an image that is original and she offers full legal usage of her cover images.  So, if you want to print it on swag, and sell that, the money goes straight to you.

Her prices are competitive- affordable for small press publishers as well as self-publishers.

She also provides other services- such as: tattoo design, logo design, header design, artistic prints, children's book illustration, and pretty much anything illustration that you can think up.

Stop by and drop the secret word: Mischief, for your chance to win one of these nifty prizes...

such as:   postcard sized prints of  her work titled PERCHED CREATURE, one of two copies of ELEMENTAL by Emily White, a ten dollar Amazon gift card, an original painting, and  free labor on a book cover (costs may be incurred for props/ models/ wardrobe) and more!

Links:
Sketcher Girl Studios
SGS on Facebook

Testimonials:

Vic Caswell is brilliant! Not only is she super easy to work with, but the things she comes up with are so amazing. She was able to take the half-coherent ideas I was kind of able to articulate and come up with exactly what I was thinking of. I loved working with her on both my books' covers and I can't wait to work with her again!- Emily White (author of ELEMENTAL from Spencer Hill Press)

"I'm loving my new logo!!! Victoria Caswell did a MARVELOUS job and was such a joy to work with. She made the process effortless and I swear she could read my mind. So, if you need some work done, please send it her way! You won't be sorry!" ♥ Nancy  Fennell (owner of Scents of Adventure)

Authors and Books that Take You Places!

Kimberly Ann Miller is the author of the forthcoming Paranormal YA Triangles  published by Spencer Hill Press. Welcome Kimmy! We here at TheWritersbytheshore blog believe in BIC (butt in chair), but we also think that writing (and life) should take us and our readers to fun destinations. So here we go...

Tell us a little about your book. Will we need our passports?

Absolutely! Here is the blurb from Spencer Hill Press’s website:

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess? 

Wow! Sounds great. So, if I was going to have dinner with your main character, what exotic locale would we be dining at?

Either on the ship out in the beautiful open sea, or on the amazing island of Bermuda.

Who is the character you would vote as "Most likely not to make it through customs" and why?

Hmm…Probably Marcus, because he would be the one to try to smuggle some alcohol in his carry-on!

If your main character was stranded on a desert island, what would be an essential travel item for them to take along?

A satellite phone to call someone to pick her up!

What advice would you offer to other writers embarking on their own writing adventure?

Be persistent and never give up. Breaking into publishing takes time, effort, and desire. Hone your craft, get yourself some wonderful critique partners, and take criticism with grace. I learned early on to listen to the advice of other writers because we share the same goal—to make my manuscript the best it can be. Most of all, enjoy the journey! There are amazing people out there all over the internet ready, willing, and able to help out!

Thanks, Kimmy and Bon Voyage!

Toni De Palma
http://www.tonidepalma.com/

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Ellen Levine passed away this week after a long, valiant fight with cancer. I first met Ellen when I was getting my MFA at Vermont College where she was a teacher and mentor. Ellen was a tried and true New Yorker. Whether it was the fact that we both had New York blood running through our veins or her hearty laugh, Ellen had a way of making an insecure writer like me feel as if what I had to say mattered.

This past Spring semester I taught a Childrens Lit class and I used Ellen's Henry's Freedom Box as an example of a nonfiction picture book. My students were enchanted by the story.As I read it, I thought of Ellen. Her voice and unique spirit came through on every page.

While Ellen is no longer with us in physical form, I know she is here in spirit. Her chutzpah was amazing and whenever I feel down about my own writing, I will think of her. To me she is what childrens literature can be.