Just a quick reminder about WriteOnCon. It’s happening right now! What are you waiting for?

http://writeoncon.com

I’ve got the most awesome news to share! I’ve received an absolutely fantastic blurb for The Nightmare Affair by none other than Kendare Blake! That’s right, the ultra-talented author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares, and the forthcoming Anti-Goddesses series, has this to say about my book:

“Mindee Arnett has a knack for magic. The world of Nightmares, Sirens, Wizards and Demons at Arkwell Academy is wondrous and strange, yet so human and well-drawn that you get the feeling you might stumble into it by accident if you go out wandering too late. THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR is whimsical and wild. I read it too fast. What’s next, Arnett?”—Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood

Yes, I could faint from joy or cry or maybe just jump up and down a lot. How about all three? Kendare is such a fine writer. I adore her work, and to have her enjoy mine in return is about as good as it gets. Her latest book. Girl of Nightmares is out in stores right now. Go get it. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh, almost forgot to mention. I’ve seen the cover art for the ARCs, and this blurb appears on it! And speaking of ARCs, I’ve added this page to my website where you can formally request one.

And last but not least, don’t forget WriteOnCon is happening next week. My blog post on world building is going up Tuesday at 5:00, but there are dozens of live events you can participate in. Be sure to register soon.

Happy writing!

I can’t believe this is already happening, but I’ve got my first blogtour planned. The lovely Shane Morgan over at Itching for Books will be hosting it. The sign up should go up sometime next week.

My first order of bookmarks arrived last Friday, and while they are still quite lovely, the text came out a little blurry. I’ve gone ahead and ordered a new batch that should be much clearer. In case you were wondering, they look like this:

I’m also excited to reveal another swag item I’m working on: The Arkwell Academy Student Guide. The guide is going to give you a firsthand sneak peek into the world of The Nightmare Affair, including custom artwork by the ultra-talented Cat York. Here’s a look at the front cover:

And last but not least, a reminder that WriteOnCon is coming up in less than two weeks. This is a free online conference and an extremely valuable resource for any up and coming writer. I’m a faculty member this year, and my blog post should be up on Tuesday around 5:00. It’s on world-building, and wow, was it tough to write. I hope people find it useful.

Happy writing!

Today I’m blogging over at The Lucky 13s about my querying journey, a process I liken to the Choose Your Own Adventure books from the 80s and 90s (and if you’re too young to remember theses, I recommend trying to locate one just for the experience). You can find the post here.

I will also be blogging as part of this year’s WriteOnCon. I’ll be discussing the frightening and highly importantopic of world-building. More to come.

Book wise, this is a big week. I’ll be turning in copy edits on The Nightmare Affair today or tomorrow as well as completing the first draft of book 2. There will be much celebrating at my home when this happens. Woohoo!

Also, I received cover proofs yesterday which enabled me to pretend that Nightmare is a real book:

Okay, so late last night (although still technically July 3rd), this post appeared in Publisher’s Marketplace:

In case that’s too hard to read, here’s the text:

Mindee Arnett’s FINDING EDEN, a spaced-based thriller about Jeth, a teen mercenary who leads a talented crew of thieves, and who finds his life on the line when he takes on a high risk job in order buy freedom for him and his sister, pitched as Firefly meets White Cat, to Jordan Brown at Balzer + Bray, in a two book deal, in a good deal, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (NA). Translation: kortiz@newleafliterary.com, Film: pouya@newleafliterary.com

So that’s my big news. Two more books. And yeah, I’m freakin’ unbelievably excited about it. The best part of the process this time was hearing my editor talk about how he first read the book using the read-aloud function on his Kindle–have you heard it? It’s awful–but he still liked the book anyway. Yah!

Also, it’s worth saying now that the title will definitely be changing, for lots of reason not worth discussing here. I will also most likely publish this under a pen name. Right now I’m leaning toward M.M. Gaver, my maiden name. What do you think? Like?

Big, big, huge thanks to my rockstar agent and all the beautiful people at New Leaf Literary. Suzie is the best! Also, thanks so much to my wonderful, awesome kickass critique partner, Lori M. Lee, as well as my sister and brother-in-law, my lovely agent sib, Kathy Bradey, and the best-reader ever, Sarah Goldberg. Couldn’t have done this without you guys.

And finally, thank you so much to everyone who participated in my cover reveal giveaway for The Nightmare Affair. I think I might plan another giveaway soon to celebrate Finding Eden. Maybe a query & chapter critique? Stay tuned…

So yesterday tor.com revealed the cover for The Nightmare Affair. Just in case you missed it, here it is again:

Like it? Yeah, so do I. Well, more like love it. It’s absolutely perfect for the book. It captures the whimsical, magical, spooky feel of it. Plus, it’s beautiful.

Now for the jacket cover with the basic design:

And here it is with all text. Do you see how it looks like a REAL book? Also, the spine is a tree! I’m not sure it can get much cooler than that:

 Here’s the jacket cover flap:

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

 Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough, but when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing.

But it does.

Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.

And then his dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target…

Now for the giveaway. As promised there will be two winners for the following prizes:

1st Winner: An ARC of Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake + an ARC of The Nightmare Affair (available in Oct)

2nd Winner: An ARC of Renegade by J.A. Souders + an ARC of The Nightmare Affair (available in Oct).

Entering is easy, just fill out the form below. And you can enter from the any of the participating blogs. You can see a list of them here. The contest is open for one week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Update – the giveaway now includes an ARC of Renegade by J.A. Souders!***

That’s right! The cover for The Nightmare Affair has been revealed over on www.tor.com. You can see it here and read about the process it took to create it. It’s fascinating, and I hope you love the final cover as much as I do.

But make sure you tune in tomorrow because I’m celebrating the cover reveal with an fantastic giveway supported by the fabulous blogs below. We will also be revealing the jacket cover for the The Nightmare Affair. There will be two winners a piece for the following prizes:

1st Winner: An ARC of Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake + an ARC of  The Nightmare Affair (available in Oct)

2nd Winner: An ARC of Renegade by J.A. Souders + an ARC of The Nightmare Affair (available in Oct)

 You can enter at any of the participating blogs below.

(in alphabetical order):

Angels, Demons, and Portals, Oh my!

Cat York

Farrah Penn

I Eat Words

Icey Books

Lil Red’s Hood

Lori M. Lee

Once Upon a Time in Writer Land

Attention writers! There’s an online auction starting Wednesday where you have a chance to bid on manuscript critiques from several published and up-and-coming writers and help fund the BE HERE NOW documentary on Andy Whitfield. I have a  query letter plus 1st chapter critique available. The minimum bid is just a dollar! The auction is taking place on the blog of the fabulous writer, Kathy Bradey, Once Upon a Time in Writer Land.

For more information on the BE HERE NOW project, including a clip from the film check out this post on Entertainment Weekly.

Good luck and happy writing!

I had a wonderful time participating in my first writers workshop as a presenter, and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who attended.

During the course of the sessions I presented, some of you asked for a copy of the PowerPoint I put together. I’ve attached it below. Enjoy and happy writing!

Sinclair Writers Workshop Presentation – Working

So this Friday I have been invited to present at my very first writers conference. To say I’m excited would be a disservice to the art of understatement. I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time. I love talking about writing nearly as much as I love the act itself. And I’m beyond thrilled that Sinclair Community College has extended me this invitation. And I want to offer a big thanks to horror-writer extraordinaire Tim Waggoner for suggesting me.

If you live near the Dayton, Ohio area and are interested in attending, here is the session I will be presenting:

Breaking into the Young Adult Market, From Draft to Query:

In this session we will discuss what makes a novel “young adult” and how to engage with the online YA community, including agents and editors. Next, we will finish up with a look at effective query letters. Session will include handouts and some hands-on exercises for developing your pitch.

To find out about the other sessions as well as times, click on Sinclair Writers Workshop2012 Program.

And here’s a link to the online registration for the conference, which at only $25.00 is incredibly affordable. They also will have walk-in registration on Friday.

And finally — just for kicks — here’s a fun newspaper article about the event. Yes, I am thrilled that my name is in the paper, especially for something so fun. You know, as opposed to a crime report or obituary (keeping thing in perspective is my motto).

Happy Writing!