My husband is reading my book

I printed out LIFE-LIKE, punched holes into the left side margins, gently placed the pages into a three-ring binder, and cautiously placed it on my husband’s side of the bed. This will be the first time he’s read it.

Are you shocked? You shouldn’t be. I’ve read aloud to him from different parts of the book, at different stages, but he’s not the guy for me to bounce drafts off of for several reasons. The first one is, he really loves me and thinks my work is better than it is most times. Second, I don’t always want to hear his opinion when I am struggling to figure out an idea. Third, he’s busy and I don’t want to wait on him. Fourth, my ego is fragile and if he didn’t like an early draft I may not continue…okay, that’s a white lie, I would continue but I’d be annoyed at him and not trust his judgement. You see, I tell him my story ideas all the time, and usually he shakes his head, smiles at me, and tells me I’m weird. Other times he jumps in on how he imagines my story should go and I never agree with him so really what’s the point?

Oh, yes, my point. Once upon a time, I was sitting in a writing class where the instructor discussed circles of friends and readers and who should you trust to read your work in each phase. My instructor drew a series of concentric circles on the board and explained the few names I wrote in the innermost circle were the most trusted and those in the following circles were less so. I’m almost positive this was a memoir lecture, but it can be applied to fiction as well.

Remember back to last winter, when I was sad about my writers group falling apart? They were my inner circle. And when that virtual collective mind vanished I was left with a literary hole. I worked my way through all that and completed my book despite losing all those trusted eyes.

Now it’s time to put my book out into the world and who better to read it with fresh eyes than someone who wants me to succeed?

He read the first fifteen pages last night and this morning said, “The pages are tight and really moved. The only thing that stopped me was the word “stinker.” Who uses that?”

“I do. And maybe I’ll start a trend. If an agent or publisher wants me to change it I will.”

My friend asked me how I could stand letting him read it and if it was a lose-lose proposition for him. “It’s kind of asking him is your ass looks fat in those jeans, there is no winning. What if he doesn’t like it? He can’t tell you.”

“Yes, he can. And he’d better tell me if my ass looked fat in jeans too.”

“You guys have a good marriage.”

“Yes, I believe we do.”

Fingers crossed he’ll enjoy the rest of the story that LIFE-LIKE weaves.

He and I started discussing the dream cast for the movie. I haven’t figured out who would play my main character, Liv. But Blake Lively  is absolutely Mary,

English: An American actress Blake Lively at the premiere of “The Town” directed by Ben Affleck, during the Toronto International Film Festival, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and Emile Hirsch would be a great Charlie,

Emile Hirsch at the premiere of Speed Racer at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and Rachel Weisz would be a fantastic Maude.

Actress Rachel Weisz at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of The Whistleblower in September 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m curious to see what Debra Zane has to say about casting it too. It’s good to dream big. You should too.

WriteOnCon

WriteOnCon, a free writers on-line conference, is about to begin.What are you waiting for? Sign up, I said it’s FREE!!! It is being held next week, August 14-16. Got to: www.writeoncon.com and see the list of amazing writers, agents, editors that are interested in helping all aspiring writers. I’d post the widget, but can’t seem to get it to work…

And here is my two cents for what it’s worth. I think the most important thing is the writing, your writing, my writing and having the best darn thing you can imagine and then some to show. I’ve worked on my manuscript LIFE-LIKE for years. My goal is to find an agent and get my story on every bookshelf possible. But publishing is not the end goal of every person.

People love writing and write for themselves and the joy and pain it brings to them. It is a way to express oneself and it so satisfying to fill a blank page with thoughts, words and emotion. Conferences can help answer questions on style, technique, voice, critique partners, pitching, recommending books to read, social media, and craft. If you are searching for assistance with any of this come look at WriteOnCon. Keep in mind too, that many universities near and around you offer writing classes. If you can’t make a face to face class, see if they offer on-line classes, many do and you should also look into Media Bistro.

I stayed away from conferences until I had something that I am proud of and am ready to take the rejection and support a conference can offer. By restricting myself from getting lost in the business of writing I gave myself a great deal of time to focus on my story.

I wish all the other writers out there good luck with their stories and process. See you on-line at WriteOnCon 2012 all this week.

Sneak Peek

Hi there. Guess what? I’m working through copy edits on my book and trying to write an interesting synopsis to help sell it. I’ve been dreading the synopsis since I realized I was writing a book. How would I boil hundreds of pages down to so few? I put off worrying about the synopsis until it was time to do the deed.

I never thought I had a book in me. Surprise, surprise, I did. And since I don’t do anything half-way and because I like my story and love the characters I created, I want to try to sell it. I’m going through the traditional publishing process of submitting to agents and finding a publisher one day soon (soon in publishing means years. It isn’t that quick but you get the idea) I sincerely hope you too may enjoy LIFE-LIKE by Holly Raychelle Hughes before 2015. And I could not have even started the process if it wasn’t for Kimberly Griffiths Little. She is my guardian angel guiding my way.

In the meantime, here is my synopsis for your reading enjoyment. I don’t think I’m done working on it, so your feedback is appreciated. Please let me know if anything is too vague or confusing. Remember this is a YA novel. My synopsis is meant to tickle an agent’s curiosity bone and make them ask to read my manuscript. It is not a beat outline and it does not reveal the end of my book.

Thanks for your help!

Synopsis of LIFE-LIKE

By Holly Raychelle Hughes

Most people assume that when they die they’ll see their life flash before their eyes prior to arriving at heaven’s pearly gates where their loved ones will greet them. But when Liv dies, she doesn’t go anywhere. Not heaven, not hell. At first, Liv doesn’t even know she’s dead.

On Tuesday, December eighteenth, Liv’s mother Maude is killed in a car accident. Maude tells her daughter this grim fact while ignoring the gaping hole in her head and complaining about the sensation of cold stainless steel against her bare ass at the morgue.

Despite her initial shock and denial, Liv is determined to save her mother from deteriorating into a maternal apparition that will haunt her forever. No flying, ethereal angels lounging on white puffy clouds come to assist Liv. But angels do appear. Unfortunately Liv can’t recognize them or their attempts to help her. To Liv they materialize as bothersome ravens, a girl with a drinking problem, a Goth, a stalker, and an undead man trying to take her mother away from her forever.

Liv remains oblivious to her circumstances. Not only is she dead, she’s trapped in limbo. Liv must wake up to the opportunity fate has given or risk dying with regret suffering a horrible eternal afterlife. She takes the risks to design the life before her eyes.  First she manipulates the day in an attempt to save her mother. Changing events doesn’t save anyone but it does reveal her true feelings toward her best friend. Liv is beyond irritated. How can her life be over now that she’s fallen in love? Liv’s journey is an emotional ride through the perilous waters of love, shame and ultimately forgiveness.

Shelli Johannes Wells UNCONTROLLABLE Book Cover Reveal!

Hey!! – here is cover for Uncontrollable (Book 2 in The Nature of Grace series) (What do you think?)

Launch is Sept 24th (yay!).

Shelli is having a cover contest, go to srjohannes.com and see details.

Summary

As Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new “Red Wolf Reintroduction Program”.While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is growing silk plants.

After a couple wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. When a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues.

Little does she know, she is being hunted too.And possibly by more than one person.

===================PRAISES FOR UNTRACEABLE

“Grace is a spunky, independent, nature girl who doesn’t need a boy to save her. With wilderness survival, a juicy love triangle, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, this fast-paced novel had me holding my breath until the very last page—and still begging for more!” -Kimberly Derting, author of the The Body Finder series (Harper Teen) and The Pledge series (S&S)

“This thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance. The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page.”

- Kirkus Reviews

“Johannes has done a marvelous job of creating a suspense-filled mystery with surprises that keep you guessing all the way to the end. Untraceable is a thoroughly engrossing and riveting page-turner.”

-IndieReader

Bio

S.R. Johannes is the author of award-winning and Amazon bestselling Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and new tween paranormal, On The Bright Side. She has also published short novelettes as well as a teen romance anthology with 16 other authors titled, In His Eyes.  Uncontrollable, the sequel to Untraceable, is scheduled for September 2012.

S.R. Johannes is a winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Awards (Young Adult) and was also recently nominated for as Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult).

After earning an MBA and working in corporate America, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.  

Beth Revis is in the house!

I met Beth Revis last year at the SCBWI Carolinas Fall Conference. I was lucky enough to sit next to her during lunch and find out how freaking cool she was and talk about all things sci-fi. She was honest about her path from aspiring writer to N.Y. Times Bestselling author. And she too inspired me to continue on my path.I am excited to share my interview with her.

Her bio: Beth Revis is the author of the NY Times Bestselling Across the Universe series, published by Razorbill/Penguin in the US and available in 17 countries. The first book in the trilogy, Across the Universe, is a “cunningly executed thriller” according to Booklist, and the second book, A Million Suns, was hailed by the LA Times as “a fast-paced, action-packed follow-up.” The final book of the trilogy, Shades of Earth, will be released in early 2013.

A former teacher, Beth lives in rural North Carolina with her husband and dog. Her goals include travelling around the world in 80 days, exploring the moon, and finding Narnia.

1.  What does your desk look like?

My desk is so cluttered that the Leaning Tower of Pisa looks like a perfectly stable structure in comparison. I have a stack of books as tall as my computer screen, dozens of notebooks, empty peppermint wrappers, and more pens than I can count. I am not at all an organized person!

2. Do you write at your desk?

I write at my desk about 30% of the time. Another 30% on my couch, and another 30% at the local coffee shop. If I get stuck on writing, I tend to just move my location–that really helps me refocus. (And for the math nerds, the remaining 10% of writing time is probably done at my kitchen table, when I’m revising and like to have the room to spread out.)

3. Have you always been a panster?

I’ve tried outlining once before–but by making the outline, I discovered I no longer cared about the plot and never completed the book. I’ve been a pantser since then. That said, though, I’m working on a new novel that is very intricate and detailed, and I think I’ll be outlining for the first time in nearly a decade to complete it.

4. How long did it take you to trust your own inner voice when getting critiqued?

I think my problem was more that I trusted my own inner voice much too much. During my first critiques, if someone didn’t “get” what I’d written, I blamed the critiquer, not my writing. It took me a while to learn that I needed to change my writing to make it more accessible and clear.

5. How much editing did your publisher do on your debute novel Across the Universe?

Surprisingly, Across the Universe didn’t need much editing. Which isn’t to say that it didn’t need any! I still had an edit letter, line edits, and copy edits. But compared to the editing I’ve done for the sequels, A Million Suns and Shades of Earth, the editing for the first book was a cake walk.

6. How excited are you about the paperback artwork for Across the Universe?

I love it! I think it’s awesome that my publisher explores different artwork and different ways to express the mood of the book.

7. Did you know where the story was headed before you started A Million Suns or was it another panster book?

I knew vaguely where the story was headed. Even though I’m a pantser, I definitely always know an idea of what the end of the book will be.

Want to know more about Beth Revis, her writing and her book tour? Go to : www.betherevis.com

Check out her June 7, 2012 post about a writing experiment and tell me what you think.

Introductions

Happy 4th of July! I was sick for a month and am finally back to my normal self. Normal being a relative term for a girl who receives messages from spirit guides and sees auras.

I’ve been reading and re-reading Gayle Forman’s Sisters in Sanity and If I Stay. I think she is a genius and hope to convince her to mentor me as I work my way through my novel.  I’m going to use If I Stay as my guide book- to help me get out of my own way and finish this draft. She has the ability to make me savor each word and scene as she feeds me her beautiful stories. Her writing is delicious and she’s made me cry more than once and giggle too.

My friend Lisa is also on my case to get this draft done- so is my man-candy husband. But being sick and uncreative for a month has made it hard to find my way back into the story that kept me up at night with story ideas and characters conversations. Ironic hu? I think my best recourse is plug away for 10,000 more hours and just start putting some of what I’m working on out here for you to read, you are my editors. What do you think?

Without further ado, here’s a little snippet of a chapter I’m working on. Olivia, my protagonist is telling her story.

—————————————————————————

Even though I wasn’t completely used to the idea of having an undead mother, my life went on. Mom tried to foster normalcy by insisting we sit and have breakfast every morning. Like the familiar smell of coffee and toast could erase the weirdness and make me forget she could possibly rot.

Buttered toast was an inch away from my salivating mouth when he walked in. I didn’t see him at first, but I heard the front door open and the tread of nonchalant footfalls on the oak floor.

He acted as if he’d been here before. Casually stepping over the creaky floorboard in front of Mom’s stacked canvases in the hallway and around her while she stood still with her hip leaning against the kitchen counter. Then he sat down next to me. A pretty girl followed him in.  I could tell by the expression on Mom’s face she’d never seen them before.

The man rubbed his fingers along the top of the table toward Mom. The girl stood behind him. He was casual like he knew how the scratches got etched into the distressed pine kitchen table.

“Good morning Maude,” he said smiling at us. “We’re here to help you with your current situation.”

“Who are you?” I asked spitting crumbs as I spoke.

“I’m Robert. You’re not supposed to be here Maude,” Robert said. He looked directly into Mom’s eyes.  His expression wasn’t mean but it certainly wasn’t friendly either.

“Here is where I am exactly supposed to be,” Mom countered. Her head leaned to the left. She’d been awake since Sunday.

set it free

If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you it’s yours. If not, hunt it down and kill it. What if what you love is dead? How does a girl build a life among the living while living with the dead? Stay tuned for more details.

Whose Life is this Anyway?

Here you go, a taste of my newest chapter. I’ve shifted into first person. Welcome to Olivia’s mind and world perspective. Please let me know what you think of it.

When do I get my life back? It’s not as if I’m dead. I’m just surrounded by them. Well not dead people, the undead, and more to the point my undead mother.

I’m talking about life with the undead.  Not zombies, although Mom can do a hilarious zombie imitation now. It’s full on B movie quality. She rolls her eyes up so they look stark white, she juts her chin out to the left allowing just the right amount of drool escape from her mouth, reaches her arms out and walks in her best Scooby Doo Zombie lurch you’ve ever seen.  Truth be told, the dead are a lively bunch, even if they are technically dead, or undead. I haven’t figured out the politically correct term.  Did I mention mom has let a few stray undead move in with us?

Inspiration Found

I had an amazing day. I figured out the hole in my story. I figured out ‘What Olivia Wants’, which is important because she is the protagonist. I’ve been writing in concentric circles around it, but couldn’t make my way there until I had a brain storming session with my Director/Writer friend Robert Moniot.  He’s got a powerful imagination and can really go there. He told me about the story he’s pitching to Icon and I told him about Olivia.

“You’re so close,” he said. “It’s there you just have to see it.”

“Can’t you show it to me?” I asked. I’m so frustrated.

“You’ll see it.”

He was so sure, that I became reassured.  And once I regained certainty in my creativity the ideas flooded my mind. I grabbed my notebook and scrambled the pen across the page trying to keep up with my mind. I was afraid I’d lose the sensation, the grandeur, the fun and ideas if they weren’t captured. What if the thoughts floated out of me and away? I couldn’t let that happen.

Instead I wrote seven pages and took a deep breath; seven pages, written in a new perspective, with new energy and life. Which is funny because I’m writing about the undead.   Can’t wait to share some with you. Come back soon.

deliberate practice

Deliberate practice. It sounds intimidating and is a personal challenge for me, and my writing at the moment. I have bursts of enthusiasm and creativity followed by periods of writing a lot of dreck.  I try steering myself back to that place of writing nirvana where I am excited about words and not wrestling them to tell a story. But this week with my daughter’s birthday and my mom visiting from out of town has left me unable to return to the fantastic place of imaginary creation. However deliberate practice should help me through the feeling of how am I ever going to do this if I keep writing crap? Right? If I set my intension to practice writing no matter what the outcome I should continue to produce pages, and those pages should get better.

I prefer writing my first drafts long hand in my journal. Then I layer in information- like setting- as I type the pages into my computer. But this week my first draft pages are weak and I recognize it. I don’t want to turn them in to my writing group because I know the notes I’ll get back. Is this my internal critic or a self-sabotaging moment?

How can I recreate the magic? In my Writers on Fire Workshop we do 5-minute exercises. And more often then not I write the most potently then. I find this exhilarating and annoying.  I’m going to try to write for 5-minute blocks of unfettered time this week and see if I can tap into the creative part of my mind that inspired me to write a Young Adult novel in the first place.

If you’re curious about my latest 5-minute exercise please click the excerpt tab up top. Our assignment was to write a portrait of someone we love, I chose my Aunt Marilyn.

If you’re interested in reading more about deliberate practice check out Justine Musk, a friend of mine who happens to be a talented writer, blog http://tribalwriter.com/

And if you’re interested in learning more about Writers on Fire go to http://writersonfire-unplugged.blogspot.com/