NaNoWriMo Misfit

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? 

True Beauty

I teach teens. Are you a teen? Do you remember what it's like to be a teenager? 

Because of journaling, I have very vivid (and fond and embarrassing) memories of being an adolescent. One thing stands out quite clearly. I remember looking in the mirror and seeing this:

Source

When I actually looked like this:

Source

(Not actually me. Ahem.)

At some point, I think we all do that. Do you do that now? If you do, stop. You are amazing the way you are, and you need to see the beauty in yourself--especially the kind that's deeper than skin. 

   

Follow the blog tour for some amazing entertainment:

Ava Quinn at Tongue in Cheek for a sea monkey interview

S.K. Anthony shares a whole slew of amazing women characters

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This pony's happiness runs deeper than the skin, because he's been following the SOULLESS Blog Tour. Join him and add a bounce to your step!

If you could give advice to your teen self, or get yourself to actually believe something you know is true but have a hard time believing, what would it be?

Halloween

Source

The spooks stirred in their hallowed graves

The creatures of memory, nightmare's slaves

But I, in my lonely house did wait

For the coming dawn to the tap tap, of fate.

Hoots and shouts shook through the walls

Goulies, and shadows and death-bird caws

But I did not hear them over the scream

Shaking from my bones and up through my veins.

The door handle rattled, the thump, thump of hands

Their twisting and shaking and guttural demands

I lifted my finger and bit down on the end

Stilling myself, begging for strength, my old friend

The demons burst through the dejected door

Syrupy liquid drizzling from mouth to floor

"Don't look. It can't hurt you. This horror can't last."

Were my last sane thoughts before they started to dance

They leapt and they screamed and they bounced and they tore

Until I could bear the insanity no more.

"Bring me all candy and go to your rooms!"

I squeezed myself, holding my sanity tight 

Praying I'd live through post-Halloween night.

Happy Halloween!

   

Ready for MORE on SOULLESS (a TOTAL Halloween read):

Brooke at The Cover Contessa shares her review

Cassie at Southeast by Midwest also sounds off her thoughts on SOULLESS

Marcy at Mainewords asks about my first car, where the Maiden of Time trilogy came from, and more

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See the pony trotting off to the rest of the tour? That's because he knows where to find fun, happiness, and CHEESE. You want to find happiness too, don't you? 

Do you write poetry? Like poetry? Have you read any awesome Halloween poems this year?

Rachel Schieffelbein Steals the Show

But first... Please welcome Rachel Schieffelbein!

Hi Crystal! Thanks so much for having me today!

Halloween is right around the corner. It’s a time for all things scary and spooky. Crystal asked me to share my top five favorite scary movies.

#5. And I’m going to cheat right off the bat. Sorry. It’s a show, not a movie. As a kid my siblings and I loved the show Are You Afraid of the Dark? It was about a group of kids who got together and shared the scariest stories they could come up with. Some were not that great, and some were terrifying! (To a kid, anyway.) I loved that show! I wish it was still on, as my oldest would love it! She devours scary books.

#4. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? An oldie but goodie. This movie creeped me out when I first saw it. Very eerie and mysterious.

#3. Candyman. I saw this with a few of my girlfriends when I was in seventh grade. It scared the crap out of all of us. My best friend basically hid under the blankets the whole time. You could not have paid me enough money to say Candyman three times.

#2. Frailty. My husband says this one doesn’t count as a horror, (he says it’s more of a suspense) but it scared the snot out of me! The idea of some crazy guy out there killing people because he thinks god is telling him to, and bringing his little boys along! That’s freaky!

#1. Night of the Living Dead. A classic. (George A. Romero may just be mentioned in FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVIL EX-GIRLFRIENDS.) This is also my husband’s favorite. One year for his birthday I talked our local theater into doing a midnight showing of it. It was pretty much awesome. If you like zombies and haven’t seen this one, you need to.

How about you? What tops your list for the best scary movies?

And this year to celebrate Halloween, my YA zombie novel, FLESH EATING ZOMBIES AND EVILEX-GIRLFRIENDS, is on sale for 99 cents through the end of the month!

Erwin is in hell--- Locked in his high school with his ex-girlfriend, her new pain-in-the-ass boyfriend, and a handful of others while zombies claw at the doors trying to fight their way in.

The bright light in the dark is Sylvia, whose strength helps hold Erwin together when everything is falling apart.

When they realize the school is no longer safe, Erwin is determined to keep the group together and get them all to safety. But he can’t save everyone.

Buy it Now!

   

So, go get yourself a cheap Halloween read, but don't miss this tour stop today:

(It's stellar, I promise!)

T.C. Mckee reviews Soulless...and guess what she said?

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

He bounces. 
He trounces. 
He dances his way down the blogosphere lane, 
Gathering happiness as he goes 
Because this bright pony knows
The joy that lies at the journey's end
IS READING THE POSTS OF YOUR WRITERLY FRIEND!

What's your favorite Halloween movie/show? Any you'd never watch again? Ones you have to watch every year?

Top Five Conversation with an Author Mom

Hi, my name is Quin (with one ‘n’) Collier. I am Crystal Collier's 14-year old son, and if you know her, then you should know that I act like it, too. I also love cheese, love to read everything I can get my hands on, and love to write. Of course, if you know my mom, you also know her unique personality. Given that I am her son, we have had many strange and sometimes rather ridiculous conversations about books.

Top Five Conversations with My Author Mom

#5. Books we Both Disliked

Naturally, Mom and I share opinions on multiple YA series. Whether it be the latter books of Harry Potter, the sparkly vampires in Twilight, or predictable endings to books everywhere, there's always been something to talk about that seems perpendicular to the development of the rest of the characters/plot.

#4. Lame (or unnecessary) Superhero Powers

One day, a book idea came up, and everyone in the family started listing off lame superhero powers that could be incorporated into the book. Such ideas included being able to see through eyelids, 3-inch high levitation, being able to create smells, and any other flabbergastedly ideas that came to our heads.

#3. Amazingly Aggravating Alliterations

Imagine that your brother or sister is doing a test on words with "port" in them. Then, your mother says ''An importer imports portable important ports.'' Then you counter with ''An importer imports portable important portable ports through a portal.'' The sentence eventually become so extensive and ridiculous that I lose track of the words. The end result is something like: ''A port porter ported importing portals ports...wait a minute.''

#2. Redundant Redundancy

A conversation about redundancy led to a discussion about redundant statements, statements such as ''justified justice,'' ''sorrowful sadness,'' and my favorite, ''supercalifragilisticexpialidociousic supercalifragilisticexpialidociousosity.'' Eventually I was just saying the same word twice, and became ''boringly bored.''

#1. My Own Story Ideas

Having an author mother my whole life has inspired me to write my own stories from a young age. I have come up with strange and sometimes impossibly impractical plots ever since the age of five, and Mom has never pointed out their contingencies or poor development, only supported me along the way. I haven't published any of my own books, but I currently cheer on hers.

In conclusion, conversations with an author aren't boring. Unless they are non-fiction authors, but even then a conversation with them probably wouldn't be boring. So in other words, go buy Soulless!

   

The blog tour is making some awesome stops today:

Suzi Retzlaff at Literary Engineer goes in depth about my research process

Cortney Pearson presents a kick-trash character, Mae

VoilaFury at Homeless Chronicles in Tampa interviews Sarah, a recently turned-Soulless character you don't want to miss 

And be sure to enter the 

Rafflecopter

for your chance to win some amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now it's time to go. The pony is leading the way and you know why his eyes are so big? He's headed for HAPPINESS. (Aka, the rest of the tour.) Get your fix.

Have you had any super interesting conversation with an author? Other creative people?