Crystal Collier: Young Adult Author: NaNoWriMo

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? (For those who don't know what that is, it's National Novel Writing Month, happening every year in November.)

The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. (An average YA novel is 60-80K words...closer to 90K if you're me.) You may not think that's a huge deal, but that means writing almost an entire novel while doing such things as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the day job, and regular life things. (You don't get a free pass to let your house fall to pieces, and no one awards you with a one-month maid.)

I tend to be a slower writer, but in 2008 I decided to NaNo. And I won. 50K words in 30 days. And they were awful. Every. Single. Word. I put that book through four critique partners before setting it aside to become a real story "one day." Right then and there I vowed to never NaNo again.

But guess what? With two major deadlines fast approaching, I've decided to try it again. Part of me knows I'm going to regret it. Part of me says, "Yeah, but you're so much more experienced a writer now!"

Which voice should I believe?

Ready to guess the lie and win a book?

Last week, I offered up 3 copies of SOULLESS for the easy peasy price of naming your favorite spook.

And the winners are:

...DRUM ROLL...

Alex J. Cavanaugh--Headless Horseman
M. Pax--Spaceghost
Meradeth Houston--Witches

Congrats friends!

And now to today's feature...

Seventeen-year-old Ayden Worth shouldn’t have to seek peace of mind in the streets. But as family pressures mount, his anxieties increase, and he turns his back on comfort for a life in homeless camps and back alleys.

Then one fateful day he runs into the only person he ever wanted to know better. Ella Jones. His memories paint her as kind and undemanding, and it seems the years haven’t changed her. Her simple expectations draw him to her. Against all odds, a relationship buds and grows.

Yet, as Ayden repairs his life, Ella suggests he help others who also struggle. Will Ella turn out to be just like his dad, expecting more from him than he can give? Or will he prove that he is worth the effort?

Get your copy HERE.

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers and short stories for the younger ones, Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

Kai has recently fallen in love with Tillamook's Garlic White Cheddar and puts it on everything. Hamburgers, crackers, omelettes, mashies. She's seriously considering stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey with it.

Kai gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for the chance to win an eBook of WORTH THE EFFORT --AYDEN'S STORY. How awesome is that?

You have until Tuesday, November 11, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on November 12.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Kai once played the part of the planet Venus – dressed as a Venus Flytrap.

2. She considers herself a scorpion queen, because they tend to appear wherever she is. Yes, it's as creepy as it sounds.

3. She came down with the flu and missed being crowned Prom Queen.

Today's AMAZING tour stops:

Ellie Garratt's sharing a cast of Villains and Outcasts

J. L. Campbell at The Character Depot unveils the Men of SOULLESS

And be sure to enter the

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The happy pony is lapping you! Don't eat its dust. Get to the other tour stops before he wins the race and you'll get the magical cheese at the end. That's right, magical.

Which is the lie? Have you read any great contemporaries lately? Are you NaNo-ing?

At my house we’re having NaNoWriMo in July (National Novel Writing Month). Why you ask? (Or maybe you don’t, but I’m going to tell you anyway.) We live in Florida. Who wants to be out in 90 to 100 degrees with 100% humidity? You in the back? Well you can have it! Above and beyond that, I lead a choir, and November (the actual NaNo month)/December are my busy season. Call us freakish if you want, but because we homeschool, we keep any schedule we like—which means December/November and most of January are our “summer” vacation.

Because we homeschool, my 9 yr old, 5 yr old, and 3 yr old are constant. Don’t get me wrong, I love them to DEATH, but “he hit me”, “she took my toy”, and “he’s breathing my air”, are huge distractons to my coveted two hours of writing a day. Then again, are they?

After my oldest was born, I went back to work for a while. A short while. My baby was growing up, and I was missing it. My husband and I sat down and agreed, we could do without the second income. I would stay home with our children. (And write—of course!) That didn’t mean he was making bukoo bucks. In fact, he was part time, we were both in school, and we gave up a lot of comforts. No big screen TV. No house. No second car. No matching couches…

I’d like to say it got better, but we still limp by on one vehicle, my couches still don’t match, and I’ve pretty much given up on the idea of EVER owning a house—that is, until I make my millions from writing. Ha, ha. (Oh, and no big screen, unless you consider 27 inches big.) The point is, I’m here, with my “distractions”, because they won’t be around for long. They’re the ones that will last even after my five minutes of fame. When the hollowness of attainment and lip-service reviews consume my days, I imagine I’ll be anxious to find a few more “distractions” in my life: the kind that love unconditionally.