Cover Reveal: Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting

I’m excited to be able to share with you my agency-mate, publisher-mate, and friend, Mary Ting’s latest book cover — Jaclyn and the Beanstalk. Jaclyn is the first book in Mary’s Tangled Fairy Tale line, and one that will take you on a journey like no other. The amazing artist of the cover, is Mister-Sam Shearon … if you’re a … Read More

Cover Reveal – ISAN by Mary Ting

Woooo Hoooo!!!! It is finally the day I can share this absolutely kickin’ cover for Mary Ting’s upcoming SciFi Dystopian novel, ISAN. 🙂 ISAN stands for International Sensory Assassin Network … now who could resist that?? The cover was done by the fabulous Deranged Doctor Design and to me it says, Pick me up and read me … NOW!! And … Read More

What Makes a Book Middle Grade?

Recently, I was discussing the arc for the Middle Grade (MG) series I am currently researching with an author friend who asked, “Are you sure this isn’t YA (Young Adult)?” My response was an immediate and unequivocal, “Yes.” The question was valid as what we had been discussing could potentially be morphing into the YA realm. But I am firm … Read More

YWS: How Writers Write – Take 2

Previously, I spoke about being a plotter or a pantster and how I fall in the middle of the spectrum. I’d like to add that for me, every book is different. Some require much more detailed planning in advance of starting, others simply have to be written and forget the outline you dashed down because we’re going on Mr. Toad’s … Read More

YWS: How Writers Write – Take 1

I’d like to share with you a little about the writing process. Of course, I can’t tell you how all authors write, but I can share my process as well as those of some authors I know. There is a popular theory that if you had a room of monkeys typing on a keyboard and infinite amount of time, they … Read More

YWS: How Authors Get Story Ideas

One of the questions that most fiction authors are asked at one point or another is “how did you get the idea for the story?” Sometimes this is a hard question to answer. The easy answer is: LIFE Actually, there are several ways in which an author can come up with an idea for a book. Through reading or hearing … Read More

YWS: The Writing Environment – Part III

This is the third of three posts focusing on 8 tips for the writing environment. In order to help you do your best writing, you have to know what it is that helps you focus on the writing.

YWS: The Writing Environment – Part II

This is the second of three posts focusing on 8 tips for the writing environment. In order to help you do your best writing, you have to know what it is that helps you focus on the writing.

YWS: The Writing Environment – Part I

Since I am getting ready to start working on some new material, I thought it would be a good time to share with you some of the things that are important to determine before you begin writing. In order to help you do your best writing, you have to know what it is that helps you focus on the writing.

Rant About Reading Shaming

I write Young Adult (YA) fiction and take it personally when the category gets slammed. It especially irks me when the person doing the slamming is from within the industry (publishing—whether writer, agent, editor, publisher) because I think anyone within the industry should be happy for people to read.

A Big THANK YOU to Jillian Dodd

I had the great pleasure to be part of a promotional effort just prior to Christmas organized by Jillian Dodd. Jillian had an idea to gather 99 authors together to join forces to promote 99 books all for 99 cents. Jillian’s plan not only included step-by-step instructions for developing a plan for marketing, sample tweets & Facebook posts, but she also planned to include fabulous prizes for bloggers who helped to spread the word as well as readers. It was a WIN-WIN-WIN experience for all involved.