COVER REVEAL - FAE by Emily White

Spencer Hill Press has another amazing cover to show off this month - Fae by Emily White!

 

 

 

Fae

Not all fae'ri tales come with a happy ending.

     Ella thought taking care of the ego-bloated Mamood god would be a sure way to bring peace to the galaxy and satisfy her taste for revenge.

     But she was wrong.

     Despite the fact their god is gone, the Mamood refuse to abandon their attack on the planet Soltak and Ella's own so-called friends start to turn against her. And with Soltak dying--its oceans drying up and its plants withering in the ground--Ella and Cailen suspect there's a new enemy at work. As more people die and more water is leached from the planet, they both prepare for something straight from a nightmare.

     The fae are coming.

Title: Fae

Series: Auri #2

Author: Emily White

ISBN: 978-1-937053-26-0 

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Formats: paper, e-book

Cover Design: Vic Caswell of Sketcher Girl

If you'd like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website. ARCs should ship next summer.  

QUERY CORNER – Successful Queries

A query letter is your first, and often only, chance to impress a potential agent or editor. Writing a good query letter is essential to getting your work in front these publishing professionals. There are many websites and blog posts already dedicated to this topic, and many suggestions on what way is the best way to write them. But one piece of advice is consistent—your letter must hook the agent or editor into wanting to read more of your book. Today I will post the letter that got me a full request for my manuscript from Spencer Hill Press, followed by an offer of publication for my debut YA novel, Triangles. As always, it’s very important to follow the agent’s or editor’s guidelines and send them exactly what they ask for. Some writers personalize their letters, others don’t. I usually do, but if you’ve been invited to submit or are submitting following a contest win or referral, always mention that in your opener. Here is my query:

Dear Ms. Kaynak, (The opening should always address a specific person)

I took part in "The Great Query Contest of October 2011" and received a request to submit my YA novel, TRIANGLES, to Spencer Hill Press when you reopened to queries. I hope you will consider TRIANGLES for your list. (Personalization, especially when you’ve been invited to submit or were referred, should be in this first paragraph)

The travel brochure promised an ‘escape from reality’. Her sister promised it would be the best family vacation ever. But when seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor's ship glides into the Bermuda Triangle, her days become a blur of Twilight Zone episodes—and she's the star of the show. (This paragraph, and last sentence, should hook the agent/editor and make them want to read more)

During her time in the Triangle, she speaks to her dead father, fights with a stepbrother she doesn't have, and finds herself stuck in the middle of a heated love triangle with a coworker and his half-brother. Waking up with cancer pushes her to the edge of a mental breakdown, sending her to the ship's clinic for help. The doctor warns her that any of these alternate lives could become permanent—after all, it happened to her during her own trip through the Triangle. Autumn struggles to figure out what’s going on, but everyone on the ship, including her sister, accepts each day as if it were the norm. When Autumn returns to the clinic for more answers, she finds the doctor is not on the ship's registry and never has been. (This paragraph should read like the back cover of a book—it should sound enticing and interesting without giving too much away)

Now, with no one to help her, Autumn has a few things to figure out: a way out of the Triangle, why she's the only one who's been affected by the strange occurrences, and why this is happening to her. If she can’t get her real life back on track, she may end up spending the next sixty years trapped in a life she was never meant to live. (The body of the query can be two to three paragraphs, each meant to pique the interest of the agent or editor and leave them wanting more)

TRIANGLES is a 63,000 word young adult urban fantasy. This novel is a standalone with series potential. Per your guidelines the first ten pages are pasted below. (This paragraph includes the title, word count, genre, and lists any submission guidelines that were followed)

Thank you for taking the time to consider representing my work. I look forward to hearing from you. (It is always a good idea to thank them for their time and close the letter professionally)

Sincerely,

Kimberly Miller (Following my name would be my contact information—address, phone number, email address, and website, social media links)

Kimmy :)

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

Why Doubt is OK

I’m a plotter. Writing mysteries means that I need to know how my character is going to cross obstacles, find clues and get to the bottom of things, alive, and in one piece by the end of the story. Many times, during revision, after I’ve read or re-written a scene a creeper of doubt will start to grow. ‘Does this sound plausible?’ doubt will ask me. ‘Is it believable?’ it will nag at me. My first reaction is to dig up that creeper and chuck it as far away from me as possible. ‘Think positive’ I tell myself. Don’t second guess yourself. Doubt isn’t going to help you finish the story.

My second reaction is different. I wait. For that creeper to re-grow. It usually does. This time I don’t run away from that feeling of doubt. I look at it. While it grows I examine it. After the examination, I pat myself on the back. ‘I’ve faced doubt,’ I tell myself. ‘Now, time to move on to the next scene.’

But it doesn’t end there. If there is every even a niggling thought in the corner of my mind ‘does my character stay true to herself?’ ‘does the scene ring true to the story arc?’ ‘would someone really use feng shui to increase luck in her life?’ that creeper of doubt will return and re-grow until I face it square in the face and do a re-write.

Doubt keeps our compass pointing true. It allows us to move from one point of view to another and view the facts with truth. It’s uncomfortable! It’s painful! Doubt isn’t an easy emotion to allow yourself to feel, especially, when you’re trying to keep positive through a revision. Doubt, I’m constantly afraid, can lead me to a dead standstill. I may get the ‘I’m no good! Why am I even trying to write this story!? Let me pick another story’ feelings. But when I do allow doubt to linger, when I look at it without negative connotations and allow it to swim steady in my head I start to pick apart the various pieces in my scene. I examine each bit like a true Nancy Drew –clearly and without judgment. It gets me energized to re-think the scene from a different angle, to ask the what-if questions and then think up answers to write a stronger, better scene.

What do you think? Do you say ‘hello’ to doubt or ask it to take a hike?

WINNER!!!

Yay! Our first giveaway was fun and easy. Thanks to all who participated and let us know what you love to read. We will email the winner for your address so we can send out Altered and you can get started reading just in time for summer!

THE WINNER IS: Kimberlee Turley!!!


CONGRATS! Check us out for more contests and giveaways to come!

COVER REVEAL - TRIANGLES!!!

Triangles

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 one of 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?

Title: Triangles

Author: Kimberly Ann Miller

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com)

ISBN: 978-1-937053-36-9

Release Date: June 18, 2013

Formats: Paper, e-book

I am so excited to share my cover with the world! My cover artist, Vic Caswell of Sketcher Girl Studios, did a fantastic job! What do you think?

Raising The Stakes

Raise your hand if you have read Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. *Raising my own hand* I may be alone here, but I am going to go out on a limb and be honest. As I read this book I asked myself how I could apply his teachings to my own WIPs as well as other books I've read.

Fast forward a few weeks and the reading of Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth and that Ah-ha moment slapped me in the face, hard. I'm not positive and haven't found anything yet stating that Roth specifically used Writing the Breakout Novel, but I have my strong suspicions she did. 

<p>Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

Which brings us face to face with today's post - Raising the Stakes. Maass gives two questions in his book which I have affixed to my editing folder. (Yes, I have a manila folder with editing notes scribbled all over it.) As I have been recently editing an older WIP I've been reminded to ask these questions with each chapter/scene.

1. "How could things get worse?" 
2. "When would be the worst moment for them to get worse?" 

At each and every turn of Insurgent something was happening, causing Tris to continually change her course of action. The stakes weren't always life threatening, but they all added emotional danger to Tris. That's why as readers we keep turning the pages. Just when you think things can't get worse, they do. We keep moving forward to make sure Tris is making the right choices. I will be honest, again, I had my doubts about Tris's choices a few times, but in the end I finally understood why she made the choices she did.

In addition to those two big questions are the type of stakes. You NEED both!

1. Personal Stakes
2. Public Stakes

And, no, the stakes don't all need to be huge. But, they do need to create emotional danger. They need to cause the main character to make choices which lead to their own suffering and sacrifice. There were so many points during Insurgent that my heart was breaking for Tris and what she was going through. Roth hit home with the emotional suffering and sacrifice she put Tris through.

So, now that we are armed with two very big questions and two types of stakes to raise, let's all take a little time to reassess our WIPs.

Good luck!

Authors and Books that Take You Places!

Avery Olive is the author of the Paranormal YA A Stiff Kiss published by Crescent Moon Press. Welcome Avery! 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?

A Stiff Kiss is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance. I think it's a reverse sleeping beauty tale with a twist. It's got a little bit of some darker themes but it's a romance through and through. Not everyone will need a passport to get to rainy Silversprings, Oregon but I sure do since I'm a Canadian ;)

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

If you were dining with Xylia I suspect you'd be in Transylvania. She loves historic castles, graveyards and the chance to maybe come across a ghost--if they exist--along with anything on the spooky side.

Landon would pick something romantic like Venice, for sure. He'd buy you a gondola ride through the canals, without a doubt.

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

That would be Xylia. She'd try to get on a plane spur of the moment and forget her passport, or try to carry on some questionable items. Not to mention with her slightly goth, dark personality and clothes she's sure to draw attention even if she's done nothing wrong.

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

Xylia's up for any adventure. She'd want a book, or map, something to point her towards a creepy cemetery, or where to find the most trouble.

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

Do your research. Everyone has to start at the beginning and learn how to wade through the never ending learning curves that come with writing, querying, editing and publishing. I know that sometimes you may want to take the easy way out and have the answers given to you, but it's best to find a great support group, writing circle and allow yourself the chance to succeed by being prepared. Writing and getting published isn't as simple as completing a book and getting it published, there are many steps in between.

Thanks, Avery and Bon Voyage!

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