Operation Awesome's New Year's Revision Conference Goes Live

Happy New Year!

I'm busy getting my posts in order to bring you lots more fun and writing and cookie related goodness for 2013. So, while I'm doing that, why not head on over to Operation Awesome for the fantastic (FREE) New Year's Revision Conference. Here's a look at what's going on over there this weekend:

January 4th, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.  Natalie Lakosil: Taking The Time To Get It Right
• 10:00 A.M.  Amanda Bonilla: Revision Strategies
• 11:00 A.M.  Kate Hart: The Query Letter: Revising With Feedback
• 12:00 P.M.   Lisa Amowitz: Polishing The Beginning
• 1:00 P.M.   Bethany Wiggins: Creating Unique Characters
• 2:00 P.M.   Agent Q&A: Part I

Victoria Marini 

Kathleen Rushall

Natalie Lakosil 

Josh Getzler

Laura Bradford

Erin Harris

• 4:00 P.M.  Shelley Moore Thomas: Picture Book Revisions
• 5:00 P.M.  Jennifer Nielsen: The Magic In Middle Grade: Remembering Your Audience During Revisions
• 6:00 P.M.   Taylor Martindale: Revising For An Agent

January 5th, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.   Christine Fonseca: Devil in the Details: Editing for Content
• 10:00 A.M.  Phoebe North: Goal, Motivation, And Conflict
• 11:00 A.M.  Cole Gibsen: Writing And Revising A Different Culture
• 12:00 P.M.   Elana Johnson: Character Consistency: How To Keep Your Characters True To Themselves
• 1:00 P.M.   Agent Q&A: Part II

Victoria Marini 

Kathleen Rushall

Natalie Lakosil 

Josh Getzler

Laura Bradford

Erin Harris

• 2:00 P.M.   Georgia McBride: Secondary Characters Who Sizzle
• 3:00 P.M.   E. J. Patten: Believable Monsters: Cthulhu Ate My Mother, Or the Rise and Fall of Human-Flavored Nougat.
• 4:00 P.M.   Erin Molta: Revisions From An Editor’s POV.

January 6th, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.  The Dreaded Editor Letter: Confessions From Entangled Publishing Authors Rachel Harris, Lisa Burnstein, Cindi Madsen, and Amy Spaulding
• 10:00 A.M.  Lauren Morill: Revising Your Teen Voice
• 11:00 A.M. Gretchen McNeil 
• 12:00 P.M.  Door Prize! Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King
• 1:00 P.M.  Agent Q&A: Part III

Victoria Marini 

Kathleen Rushall

Natalie Lakosil 

Josh Getzler

Laura Bradford

Erin Harris

• 2:00 P.M.   Gennifer Albin: How I Revise
• 3:00 P.M.   Door Prize Winner Announced
• 4:00 P.M.   Anne Riley: Druid Magic and the Orb of No-Where, No-When
• 5:00 P.M.   Grand Finale Giveaway

(Note: All times are listed as Central Time Zone)

Operation Awesome New Year's Revision Conference

I've been away for a while due to unforeseen circumstances, but the New Year will bring a fresh blog start for me. And, to help end 2012 on a high note, I wanted to start by spreading some fabulous 2013 news of an event happening over on Operation Awesome. It's time to spread the word about the Operation Awesome online writers conference, and what better way than with a giveaway!
Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

New Year's Revisions Conference 2013

January 4, 5, and 6 

This conference is totally free, totally online. 

You may have written your book as part of NaNoWriMo in November. You could have been working on yours longer. Or maybe you've got a book baby sat in a drawer that you think may just need a little more TLC. And what comes along with that? Revisions. But you don't need to go it alone. Operation Awesome have gathered a group of book lovers: the ones who write the books, the ones who represent the authors, and the ones who edit the books. They all want you to succeed in making your book as shiny as it can possibly be before you query/publish.

That's the focus of NYRC 2013.

This is the place to be if you love books, write books, want to write, or just want to hang out and read awesome tips and advice to keep in your writing tip vault. Operation Awesome. There'll also be a critique partner matching service for those looking for a second pair of eyes.

We'll be live-tweeting the events @OpAwesome6 and using the #NYRC hash tag. Hope you'll join us!

A quick recap. The NYRC will have: 

• Professional publishing advice from our panel of experts
• Guest posts by literary agents, editors, and published authors - all with an eye toward helping you through the revision process
• Book giveaways.
• Critique partner matching service (January 3, the day before the conference officially begins)

Giving away today via rafflecopter (giveaway runs from Dec. 21-24):

SHADOWS OF THE HIDDEN by Anne Riley (e-copy)
DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews (signed ARC)
AMAROK by Angela Townsend (e-copy)
A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Robyn DeHart  (e-copy)
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy (e-copy)
SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa Basso (e-copy)

$10 amazon.com gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Kindness Project: Words Create Emotion

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts.

I wasn't sure what to write this month. Then I found this poem: 

“Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing
inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and
purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.


Colombia”
― Naomi Shihab Nye, Words Under the Words: Selected Poems

The Kindness Project

I'm excited to have been asked to join The Kindness Project! Yay!  What is The Kindness Project? Read on...

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month. Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness.  


When the awesome Lola Sharp asked me to join The Kindness Project, naturally I said yes. Then I started to panic. Why? Because I don't even feel qualified to talk about being kind. Or to spread any sort of inspirational message about being kind. So I spent a while thinking about what to write. Then I procrastinated by Googling random stuff. 


And I found this quote: 

Image via Google 

It got me thinking that an act of kindness, however large or small, should be offered without expecting repayment. We do something nice because we want to do it. 


It doesn't even have to be a huge gesture. A smile. Holding open a door. And how often does a nice comment on a bad day make all the difference? Kindness is like a hug you can't feel. The gesture may not change lives, but the fact that you took the time makes all the difference. 


It may even inspire someone to pay it forward. 


Want more? Check out the July posts for The Kindness Project: 


Alina Klein                             Katharine Owens 
Andrea Hannah                      Len Lambert
Barbara Watson                     Liza Kane
Carolina Valdez Miller            Lola Sharp
Christa Desir                          Lindsay Scott
Claire Hennessy                     Matthew MacNish 
Elana Johnson                        Michele Shaw
Elizabeth Davis                      Sarah Fine
Elizabeth Poole                      Sara Larson 
Erica Chapman                      Sara McClung
Jessica Corra                         Sophia Chang
Leigh Moore                          Tracey Neithercott

Cleaning House

Since my little old blog has, sadly, been gathering a bit of dust recently, I've decided that it's time for a bit of a clean up (and a sparkly new design). I've lots of archived posts over in the sidebar if you'd like to stay a while. So, while I'm brushing off the cookie crumbs, feel free to pull up a comfy cushion, pour some coffee and help yourself to a cookie. 

I'll be back.

Updated Covers for Possession & Surrender

When the fabulous Elana Johnson announced via Twitter that she had a secret to reveal, I dropped my cookies and jumped at the chance to help her reveal it.

You remember these covers, right?:


Gorgeous, right? Well here's what landed in my inbox from Elana...

First, I present the newly-designed cover for the POSSESSION paperback:

I love (and own) the original cover in hardback, but I think the graduated background colour really compliments the the butterfly in the ice. And did you notice the new tagline?

And here is the hardback cover for SURRENDER:

Again, I think the colour of the background makes the bird in the jar pop.

I'm normally a bit on the fence about cover redesigns. I like my books (especially the ones in a series) to compliment each other when they live on my bookshelves (I know, I'm weird *grins*). But I do love these new covers. Plus the cover backgrounds just happen to be two of my favourite covers. :)

What about you? What do you think about the POSSESSION and SURRENDER covers?

The Joy of Books

This has been doing the blogosphere rounds over the last week, but I wanted to share it with you all.

I wonder if my books do this when I'm asleep? Hmmm. :)