First off, Happy Thanksgivings to everyone of you who celebrates it. I hope your day is full of lots of good food and good times with loved ones, as mine will be.

Now onto the main point. Maggie Stiefvater is giving away signed bookplates of The Raven Boys for anyone in the US and Canada who wants them, and oh boy do I do. (Details here.) I LOVED this book so much. I have compared my experience reading it to something akin to the way I felt watching Goonies as a kid, a sense of complete and utter wonderment and a desperate desire to be a part of this world and to share the adventures with this characters. I cannot wait for book 2.

So in order to get my bookplate, I have to present a picture of myself (or a pet) holding my copy of The Raven Boys. I decided to use my pets and quite a few of them volunteered to participate. (And no not all of them are represented.)

(This last cutie technically isn’t mine, but my sisters. Still, he wanted to pose.)

First of all, if you wanna be a writer, then yah! Congrats! Best. Decision. Ever. Now all you have to do is read a lot, write a lot, and never give up. The old idea that success is 20% talent and 80% tenacity (or whatever the formula) is true!

Beyond that, my only true advice is this: If what you’re doing isn’t working, then try something else.

Sounds simple, right? But it’s not.  So many writers—myself included at one time—possess the determination to keep on writing story after story or novel after novel regardless of failures and near misses, but we fail to make changes between each attempt. And like Albert Einstein once said, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

So what kind of changes am I talking about? Well, that depends on the writer, of course. For me, the change I needed to make was the way I approached writing the first draft.

Before The Nightmare Affair, I was a complete pantser. I just hit the page running and didn’t look back. The result, naturally, were stories that required a lot of revisions/rewriting afterward. Unless you are Stephen King (and even he admits in his fabulous book On Writing that he doesn’t get it right the first time either) you’re bound to go off track in places. For me as a pantser, this meant going off track in a lot of places. It also meant a lot of self-doubt and discouragement when I started on the second draft.

With the The Nightmare Affair, however, I decided to employ a different tactic. I became a “pantser who stops and asks for directions.” What this means is that I still approached the first draft without an outline or any deliberate plotting, but rather than running along as quickly as I could, I took my time scene-by-scene, chapter-by-chapter, and character motivation by character motivation to think about what was happening, why it was happening, and then what would happen next. Rather than follow my instincts, I questioned those instincts, tested them for viability before putting them down on the paper. Like this:

• Why is character B behaving this way?
• What is his motivation?
• Where am I at in the “story arc?”
• Is this scene serving multiple purposes? Does it advance the story? Provide character development?

The result of this change was exactly what I needed—a first draft in much better shape than any I’d written before. This made revising a heckuva lot easier. I was able to take it through multiple drafts without getting discouraged. And of course, several months later I signed with my agent and then sold the book. It was like magic.

So take a look at what you’ve done in the past that hasn’t worked and then try something new this time around. You just might find your magic, too.

Good luck and happy writing!

And be sure to check in with the rest of the teamTEENauthors:

• Julie Cross
• Adam Leonard
• Pip Harry
• Hilary Weisman Graham
• Janci Patterson
• Jessica Corra
• Kimberly Sabatini
• Laura Ellen
• Suzanne Lazear
• Trish Doller
• E.C. Myers
• Elizabeth Amisu
• Erika O’Rourke

Okay, the first big giveaway for The Nightmare Affair has arrived! The lovely people at Heroes and Heartbreakers.com are hosting it. You can win an ARC Nightmare as well as a copy of the fantastically awesome Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Find all the details here.

Good luck!

I’m sure most of you have heard about this blog hop by now, and it’s my turn! I was tagged by the fabulous Liz Coley.

Here it goes:

1. What is the working title of your current WIP?

It’s currently untitled, but I refer to it as FE_Prequel. Real creative right?

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

This is a prequel to my YA sci-fi novel (currently titled Finding Eden but changing soon) that’s upcoming from Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins).

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a YA sci-fi, the kind with space ships and guns.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I haven’t come across anyone that fits my MC. But in my mind, I picture Jeth as a teenaged version of Malcolm Reynolds, and if you don’t know who this is, I’m afraid we can no longer be friends. (Kidding, well sorta.)

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenaged thieves must pull off a dangerous heist for their crime lord boss while training their newest and youngest member–Jeth’s little sister, Lizzie.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m represented by Suzie Townsend from New Leaf Literary, and this prequel should be coming out as an ebook prior to the release of the novel. This is a question a lot of people ask me, as self-publishing is becoming increasingly popular. For anyone who is unsure which path to take, I recommend you take a look at this self publishing vs traditional article for lots of information and a direct comparison between the two methods.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Unknown. I’m still working on it.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

The announcement in PM described the series as Firefly meets White Cat by Holly Black. I’m down with that.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to explore what happened before the events in the first book.

10. What else about your book might pique your reader’s interest?

It’s written in 3rd person and from a male point of view. There’s lots of action and sci-fi fun.

Now, I’m supposed to tag 5 writers to post next, but so many people have already been tagged for this one. Instead, I’ve decided to list some of my favorite up-and-coming writers. All of these ladies are super talented, and I hope you’ll take the time to check out their stuff and put them on your radar. You won’t regret it!

Lori M. Lee

Cat York

Kathy Bradey

Farrah Penn

Victoria Scott

Happy Writing!

Yep, you read that title right. The cover for The Nightmare Affair is getting tweaked. Now before anybody panics, the cover is staying mostly the same. The only change will be the girl silhouette aka Dusty. She’s getting a makeover to emphasize that the book is a YA and not an MG (if there was any doubt, it is most definitely YA). I’ve seen the early comps of the change, and they are fabulous. Dusty’s getting new clothes, new hairstyle, a brand new and more accurate look. If you liked the cover before, you’re going to like it even more when you see the update. I promise!

My other big news of the week is that I’m going to be a panelist at this year’s Context 25, a sci-fi/fantasy convention with a literature focus that takes place in Columbus, Ohio. You can find the schedule here. I’ll be the blond woman trying her best not to look stupid as I attempt to live up to the title of “entertaining guest.” Ha, ha aren’t they in for a surprise! Kidding. Well, mostly.

So if you feel like coming out, cheerleaders, hecklers, and SF enthusiasts are all welcome.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in my giveaway. I’m so happy to announce the winners.

First up, the ARC of Renegade by J.A. Sounders and a swag pack of The Nightmare Affair goes to:

Hwa Sun Kang of The Shangri La of Books!

The two runners up, both receiving swag packs of The Nightmare Affair are:

Magan Bagan of A Trail of Books Left Behind

and

Lisseth of Read-A-holicZ

Winners, please send me your address information so I can get these prizes out to you pronto ([email protected])

And now for the news. I’ve had two announcements appear in Publisher’s Marketplace. First, the audio rights to The Nightmare Affair went to Audible.com in a 3-book deal. And second, German rights went to Heyne in a 2-book deal at auction!

Needless to say, I’m very excited 🙂

Have a great holiday weekend!

Okay, as promised, I’m giving away my ARC of Renegade by J.A. Souders plus some swag packages for The Nightmare Affair. There will be three winners. The first will win the ARC plus a bookmark and an Arkwell Academy Student Guide (inside picture here). The two runners up will receive the bookmark and Guide as well. The contest is open internationally.

To enter, just comment on this blog. You can earn an extra entry for mentioning the contest on twitter and facebook (1 entry each, so 2 possible). If you mention on twitter, be sure to include my handle (@mindeearnett) so I can track it. And if you mention on facebook, provide the link in your comment. Here’s a short link for the contest: http://wp.me/p29HNn-60. The contest will be open until midnight Thursday, eastern standard time.

Good luck!

So here’s the cover and description of Renegade from Goodreads. This book was unlike any I’ve read. It was dark and twisted, ultra-fast paced and completely thrilling. I enjoyed it immensely, and I’m sure you will, too.

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb… and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

And here’s a picture of the front and back cover of the Arkwell Academy Student Guide:

Hi all!

Today I’m over at the awesome Gypsy Book Reviews discussing my cover for The Nightmare Affair. It’s got some sneak peeks into the book along with some other fun stuff. Plus, Ashelynn is super nice and smart and you should follow her blog anyways because it rocks. Go check it out here.

Also, be sure to show up next week as I’m going to be holding a giveaway for Renegade by J.A. Souders. This book is amazing. I tore through it, completely engaged by the creepy, intense, and weirdly beautiful story. The ARC winner will also receive a swag package for The Nightmare Affair – a bookmark and one of the extra-awesome Arkwell Academy Student Guides. I’ve got photographs off the guide over on my Facebook author page. It includes custom artwork based on the book and an in depth look at the world it takes place in. There will also be two runners up who will receive the swag package as well. Entering will be easy and painless, I promise.

See you then!

Just a quick note to let you know some places you can find me on the internet. I did a W.O.W – Writer Odyssey Wednesday interview over at Chasing the Crazies. You can read it here.

Also, the link to my WriteOnCon post is here. You can comment to win a Query + 1st Chapter critique from me as well a swag package for The Nightmare Affair (a bookmark and one of the super-awesome-you-want-this Arkwell Academy Student Guide).