New Book Name and More

January is almost over (hallelujah), and so much has happened since my last blog post! Auraseer has a new name, The Seer's Curse, and my series will now be called Riaznin Rising. I love these names because they're specific and evocative. If you haven't added The Seer's Curse to Goodreads, do it now!

I've been busy revising with my fantastic editor, Maria Barbo, at Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, and I couldn't be in better hands. Having a book release in a year means a lot of work--and quickly--and I've never worked harder (a 3:00 a.m. bedtime has become the norm). But before I know it, all of this effort will transform itself into a shiny new book to share with all of you. I can't wait!

In other news, my Christmas decorations are still up, my house needs a good deep-cleaning, my husband's high school theatrical production opens in less than a week, and I may or may not have consumed one too many chocolates in the last month. But I did exercise for the first time in, oh, a decade this morning, so there is hope for me.

Here are a few pics of my recent happenings:

The one day I took off revising was to celebrate with my friend, Sara B. Larson, at her launch party for IGNITE. Here we are with Erin Summerill, making for a tasty Adams Literary client sandwich.

 

Signing my contract for the Riaznin Rising series. A momentous occasion!

Round one of editorial revisions completed!

Christmas trees are still pretty at the end of January...right?

Storymakers & Vegas Recap & More

Here is my long overdue post recapping all my fantastic happenings as of late. I have been BUSY, to say the least! Right on the tail-end of my recovery from surgery, I went to LDStorymakers (which my agent, Josh Adams, also attended this year); the next weekend I performed in Las Vegas at my writing buddy Jessie Humphrie's book debut party/awards ceremony/concert extravaganza; and the next week I went on vacation with my extended family to Capitol Reef. Whew! Now that I'm back, I'm digging into the last stages of research for my epic new fantasy trilogy, which I should be able to begin drafting any day now. I tend to disappear off the planet once I start a new project, so here's catching up with me--through pictures--to tide the webiverse over until I resurface again.

LDSTORYMAKERS 2014

Sara B. Larson and I had such a wonderful time with our agent, Josh Adams, this weekend. We took him on a mini-tour of Salt Lake City and got to have fun going out to eat a few times around the conference.

Here we are on our "Agent-Author Relationship" panel, which I also moderated--both firsts for me.

Me, Sara, and our friend and roomie for the weekend, Jacqui Scott. BTW, my lovely friend, Erin Summerill, was the conference photographer and snapped these first four pics. Isn't she talented?!

All my roomies, including my fabulous CP, Ilima Todd, on the far right.

My first CP, Robin Hall. We were friends for three years before we even started writing in pursuit of publication, and we attended our first writers' conference together years ago. How time flies!

Las Vegas Weekend

Here I am, singing and chatting about writing and music. Believe it or not, this was my first time publicly singing and playing guitar. Thanks for having me,  Jessie!

Hanging with my glamorous friends, Sara B. Larson and Courtney Alameda, who I road-tripped with down to Vegas. Here we are across the street from the Inspire Theater, where Jessie held her event. Gotta love the wind in our hair for the added drama. This may be the last picture you see of me wearing high heels. Ouch!

The one-of-a-kind, Jessie Humphries. She epically thought out of the box for her book debut for KILLING RUBY ROSE, and as a result, she had an amazing weekend and not only became an overnight bestseller, but also greatly benefited the schools of her Las Vegas community.

And we may have had a little too much fun at this particular gas station on the drive back to Utah. I blame Erin Summerill, who drove back with us. ;-) She brings out the crazy in me!

Other Fun Things

A little glimpse into my vacation at Capitol Reef. This is just a smidgen of my extended family. My parents had ten kids, and now we're at 36 people and counting. I <3 them all.

Last of all, I want to announce that my agency, Adams Literary, has a newly revamped website, which also sports a fancy author's page for yours truly. Check it out!

Vegas Performance & Conference Panel

Inspire Theater in Las Vegas

I have some very exciting upcoming events to announce! First of all, my fantastic agent, Josh Adams, is coming to Utah for LDStorymakers (April 24-26), a large annual writers' conference, and I've been asked to be on a panel with him and my agent sister and friend, Sara B. Larson. Our topic is the author-agent relationship. If you're coming to Storymakers, I hope to see you there! (Registration closes April 20th, so hurry!)

The next weekend I will be in Las Vegas for my friend Jessie Humphrie's mega two-day book launch/literacy awareness event. (Her book, Killing Ruby Rose, is debuting.) She's asked me to take part in the Saturday night (May 3rd) ceremony/concert, which will take place at the new Inspire Theater. I'll be one of a handful of musicians/authors who will be performing a couple songs and speaking a little about how music influences our writing. I'm absolutely thrilled to be involved in this event and have had my guitar attached to my hip for the last few weeks in preparation for my little moment in the limelight.

Many other exciting things are happening that weekend in Vegas in conjunction with Jessie's book launch, so be sure to stay up on reading her blog for all the latest details. And here's her blog post mentioning me and my upcoming performance. *cues giddy freakout*

DEFY-An Interview with Sara B. Larson

Me 'n' Sara at a Writers' Conference

I'm absolutely delighted to have author Sara B. Larson here on my blog today. Sara is not only a very dear friend of mine, she's also the author of Defy, which debuts on January 7th, though I've learned it's already in the wild at Barnes & Nobles stores. Run!

Defy is a very special book to me. I beta read it over a year ago and fell madly in love with everything about it. Okay, that's a HUGE understatement. I told Sara back then that next to Shadow & Bone (I have to be honest), Defy is my favorite book--and I still stand by that. So I've felt like sort of a "Defy champion" throughout the journey of her querying it, obtaining a fantastic agent because of it, and ultimately selling it--all of which happened very quickly because this book is AMAZING!

Sara showed me an advanced reader copy a few weeks ago, and I was deeply touched to see she'd written a whole paragraph to me in her acknowledgements. WOW. Being in someone's acknowledgements at all is a first for me, so seeing that was totally surreal.

Anyway, Sara was sweet enough to let me interview her. (This even got approved by her publicist. I feel so cool.) I tried to ask Sara questions that would capture the magic of Defy and induce everyone out there that they MUST BUY THIS BOOK NOW! Then we can all swoon and gasp and huzzah (what a great word; I had to throw it in there) together! So here we go...

You’ve been writing for many years and have written many wonderful stories. What sets DEFY apart from the others? Why do you think it’s the book that finally sold?

Sara: I’m not 100% sure, to be honest. I’ve loved all of my books and felt confident in each one. But I did feel like something was special with DEFY. I felt like I’d taken all the feedback I’d received on my other books and tried to apply it to this one as I wrote it. I tried to make sure to keep the pace up, to keep the reader guessing, to amp up the stakes and to be true to my characters. This book came from a place of deep emotion, and hopefully that shined through. Maybe that’s what made the difference. When I wrote the ending, the emotions I felt were nearly overwhelming. Not only from the actual ending (which brought me to tears and had my heart racing with adrenaline), but I also had a very clear impression that this book was different. That was a very powerful moment that I’ll never forget.

Then when I got feedback on it, I started to let myself hope. I had some truly amazing responses to this book (including a certain someone’s who may or may not currently be interviewing me…), and that’s what helped give me the courage to query DEFY (because I was pretty nervous to do it). And I’m SO incredibly grateful I did.

Can you describe your writing process, especially with DEFY?

I usually get an idea and start writing it without an outline or anything, although I usually do know the ending. I will write between 10-20k words with a separate document where I write any notes, thoughts, or ideas that come to me for the rest of the book or series as I go. Once I hit that point, I usually write an “outline” of sorts, using my notes and ideas. Basically, it’s more like an informal synopsis, where I just get the main plot out and make sure it’s going to work.

With DEFY, I didn’t know how it was going to end, because when I started, I didn’t know it was going to be a book. I wrote about 8k words, hit a wall, and put it aside to finish a different book. But the characters wouldn’t leave me alone, so I went back to it eventually. After I figured out that a character was keeping a BIG secret from me, the plot clicked into place and the rest of the book flew out in about two weeks!

The road to publication is often long and difficult. What helped you get through that?

The number one reason I made it through it was my husband. His support and belief in me was unwavering, no matter how low I got, no matter how many rejections I racked up. Having someone like that in your corner was invaluable and truly got me through the worst of it. I also have some amazing family and friends who have been there for me, cheering me on, always believing I’d make it and doing what they could to help—be it critiques, long phone calls, emails, or any number of things. And finally, my own stubbornness. My unwillingness to quit. Once I set goals for myself, I just can’t let myself fail. No matter how much I doubt myself, ultimately, I believed in my dreams and I didn’t give up.

Describe your main character, Alexa, with ten adjectives.

Alexa’s pretty complex, so I’ll do my best to convey that in ten words or less:
Determined, strong-willed, vulnerable, kind, loyal, indomitable, protective, dedicated, and fierce.

Describe Prince Damian (swoon!) with ten adjectives.

Damian is probably even more complex than Alexa, ha! But some of their traits do overlap. Let’s see…I may have to cheat just a tad with this one:
Seemingly arrogant, spoiled, and petty, but he’s also very secretive, surprisingly empathetic and guarded.
That’s all I dare say. There’s much more to Damian than immediately meets the eye….

What do you have in common with these two characters, and what about you is very different from them?

Well, I’m definitely very stubborn and determined, which are traits both Damian and Alexa possess. But Alexa and Damian are both much more guarded about themselves (and their secrets) than I am. I tend to be pretty open about my emotions…usually. And there’s the obvious fact that Alexa could totally kick my butt without even breaking a sweat.

Without spoiling anything, what hints can you drop about your favorite scene/moment in DEFY?

Wow, that’s a tough one. So many moments in DEFY were very emotional for me, and have deep meaning, for different reasons. I’m not sure I can pick just one. My top favorites would be too spoilery, but I can think of one scene that was WAAAAY too much fun to write…it involves a tent and Alexa literally being stuck between two hot guys. The awkwardness and tension that arises from the situation was pretty dang fun to explore.

Thanks for having me here today! You were an integral part of my journey with DEFY, and I’ll forever be grateful to you for that!

********************

Wasn't that great?! I need to do interviews more often. Fun, fun, fun. Want to learn more about Defy? Read on!

Gorgeous cover, right?

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and heart-racing romance.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Pics & Advice from LDStorymakers

I'm still recovering from the awesomeness that was LDStorymakers a few days ago. Does one need to recover from awesomeness? Why yes they do. Storymakers is a three-day (if you do the bootcamp on Thursday) writers' conference that is packed from morning till evening with workshops, classes, a keynote speaker, and designated times for mingling (meals, signings, etc.). It's a concentrated splurge of education and networking with other writers. There were about 450 in attendance this year, including top-notch agents and editors from around the country. This conference was important in catapulting my writing career to the next level last year, and it continues to be worthwhile to me. Plus, I got to hang out with so many writer friends! Below are some highlights (writing advice and photos) from the conference.

With my CPs--Robin Hall, Ilima Todd and Emily Prusso

Writing advice from agent Hannah Bowman: Look for the relationship between the internal and external conflict in every scene. If there is no relationship, can you create one?

Adams Lit Agency sisters:
Me, Kimberley Griffiths Little and Sara B. Larson

Writing advice from editor Victoria Curran: What does your character risk in loving someone else? The secret to building romantic tension is why two characters shouldn't be together.

Sara B. Larson, Jacqui Scott, Erin Summerill,
me and Renee Collins

 Writing advice from author Traci Abramson: Make sure the middle book in a trilogy is necessary. Some resolution is critical for a satisfying read and for readers to want more.

Lending our freakish support to Jenn Johannson (top R)
for her soon-to-be released novel, INSOMNIA

Writing advice from author Janette Rallison: A character's goal becomes the story problem (Can Harry defeat Voldemort?). If you don't have a defined goal, it's very hard to have a great climactic moment.

With one of my lovely CPs, Emily R. King

Writing advice from author Anne Perry: A person usually spends two weeks reading a book. Do you want to spend your own time with a character who whines and mopes? A main character needs to have redeeming qualities. They need to show compassion to other people. A little bit of humor also helps a lot. We want to root for characters to overcome and to have hope at the end of a story because we want hope in our own lives.

Me with the phenomenal
and inspirational Anne Perry

More thoughts from author Anne Perry: A book is your letter to mankind. What is the most beautiful image to you? Share those things with people. Share your love, your faith, your doubt. Put your heart on the page, what gives you hope, what hurts you. What lies in your heart is precious. What is priceless to you?

Me with my super cute and fun friend, Jessie Humphries

Writing advice from agent Hannah Bowman: The point of a first chapter is to draw you into a premise. It's like a short story. At the end the conflict is worked out, but a complication is introduced to propel the rest of the story.

Love my friend, Kate Coursey.
We've decided this is our year!

Writing advice from editor Victoria Curran: In 99% of submissions she sees, authors motivate their characters, but don't let them act. Her advice is to let them make mistakes, and then fight to redeem themselves. Your reader will enjoy your story more if the motivations and actions are true--even if your character makes mistakes.

After-conference dinner with a ton of writer friends (L to R):
Nichole Giles, Elana Johnson, Jenn Johannson, Renee Collins,
Sara Raasch, Kate Coursey, Ilima Todd, Jenilyn Collins,
Shalee McArthur, Jennifer Jenkins, Jacqui Scott, David West,
and (not-pictured) Sara B. Larson, who had to leave early.

Writing advice from author Janette Rallison: Conflict is not the same as arguing or random bad things happening. The problem needs to be larger than that. Any conflict that can be cleared up with a two-minute frank conversation between two characters is not real conflict.

This is the face of pure joy.
My CP Emily Prusso joked that she
would quit writing if she didn't win
a door prize. Luckily on the last day
of the conference, she did. A sign! ;-)

Last bit of writing advice from author Anne Perry: We are seeking truth. We want to know who we are. We want to understand. This is why we have always told stories. Good writing is communication. Great writing is relatively simple. We are here [in this life] to learn to empathize with as many people as possible. Reading allows us more of this. Make sure your stories carry the power and passion you want them to. Simplify, cut, expound your stories until they do.

Catching Up--In Pictures

We got a new camera for Christmas (a Bloggie, so I can start vlogging--stay tuned!), and I've finally figured out how to upload the photos to my computer (baby steps). So I thought it fitting that I catch the blogiverse up on the big writerly events I've attended in the past few months, along with some addititional bonus pics (yes, I'm including last Halloween because those pics were just too awesome). Thanks to my writer friends for snapping many of these photos. Just because I bring my camera to events, doesn't mean I always use it!

Halloween 2012. Getting attacked by my zombie husband!

Purdies + Halloween = zombie doll, zombie father and son, and a witch

With my friend Michelle Davidson Argyle at her launch party for BONDED in November 2012

Emily R. King's after-Christmas party. Back row L to R: Jennie Bennett, Morgan Shamy, Elana Johnson, Donna Weaver, Peggy Eddleman, Katie Dodge, me, Emily R. King. Front row L to R: Leigh Covington, Erin Summerill, David Powers King

New author pic taken by my friend, Erin Summerill, in December 2012. Still working to redesign my blog w/this.

January 2013: Book club night for BONDED (written by Michelle Davidson Argyle--pictured on the right) at my friend Ilima's house. Our friend, Emily Prusso, was so sad she couldn't make it, hence the paper cutout.

January 2013: Watching the FRINGE finale with my husband and brother and eating Red Vines (in honor of Walter)

January 2013: At a book launch for Brodi Ashton and Cynthia Hand. Hanging here with (back row L to R) Natalie Whipple, me (I hang with myself!), Sara B. Larson, Ilima Todd, Dialma Jensen, and Stacey Ann Ratliff

January 2013: With Brodi Ashton at her launch for EVERBOUND

January 2013: With Cynthia Hand at her launch for BOUNDLESS

February 2013: With Michelle Davidson Argyle and Kasie West at Kasie's launch for PIVOT POINT

February 2013 at Kasie's launch (L to R): Sara B. Larson, me, Michelle Davidson Argyle, and Kate Coursey

February 2013 at LTUE: me, Sara Raasch, Jenn Johannson, Kasie West, Shelly Brown, Sara B. Larson, Peggy Eddleman, and Renee Collins

February 2013: At LTUE with Sara B. Larson (celebrating new agent sisterhood together!)

Blurry, but worth it! Lunch at LTUE (clockwise): Marion Jensen, Chad Morris, Erin Summerill, Jessie Humphries, Tyler Whitesides, Sara B. Larson, Peggy Eddleman, me, Shelly Brown, Jacqui Scott, and Jennifer Eldredge Jenkins

With my CP and friend, Ilima Todd, at Michelle Davidson Argyle's library author visit

I Have an Agent!

Although I never posted anything on my blog, my friends know I lost my agent last year when she quit the business for personal reasons. I had enough respect for her to trust she was making the right decision for herself, but I'm not going to lie, it was rough. My novel was still on submission with our first round of editors, and the feedback we'd received so far was positive. I felt certain we were close to selling. So when my agent quit without warning, it seemed like all the hard work and momentum I'd been building came to a screeching halt. After a couple days of bleary-eyed staring at the wall, I decided to get over myself and get back to work. My mom reminded me it's those who don't give up who succeed. I dove back into the last stretch of drafting my new novel and started querying my previously agented novel.

I'm going to back up and tell you I got my first agent without querying. When my first novel was polished and ready, I pitched it to her at a writers' conference, and she requested my full manuscript. Within a few days, she enthusiastically offered. I never queried anyone else. So when I queried for the first time after I'd lost my agent, and the interest in my novel wasn't dynamic, I worried. Was I really as talented as I thought? Was it a total fluke that I got an agent in the first place? In the meantime, my husband was still searching for adequate work after being laid off his job at the beginning of summer, and our perfect credit went down the drain as we could no longer afford renting out our home in Florida for less than the mortgage payment. We tried to sell it for what we owed, but no bites; pursuing a short sale was the next best option. My husband, our three children, and I were living in my in-laws' basement for what we'd originally thought would be a few short months, but now it seemed a never-ending prospect.

It took a lot of willpower, perseverance and courage to believe everything would turn out all right. It took a lot of faith to push through finishing my story, to let go of my own reality long enough to get lost in a world of my own imagining--but where my heroine also wrestled with loss of control over many aspects of her life, and where she worked to find creative ways to move forward and not be a victim to circumstance.

Sometimes my strength would crumble. I had my share of sob fests and moments of despair. But I refused to linger in that state of mind. Again and again, I'd pick myself up and get busy writing. At the end of January, I was ready to query my new novel. I took a deep breath and sent it out into the world. And this time I did see dynamic interest. Within a week, my full manuscript was out with several respectable agents. I tried not to get too excited, but I did allow myself to hope. I often hear people say, "Don't have any expectations." I see the logic behind that, but shouldn't we have faith? Shouldn't we believe in ourselves and our work? It's the more painful route when things don't work out, but I still believe we should dream. Sometimes it takes all the bravery in the world to cling to that hope. It often takes every last ounce of faith. It's hard, but I find it--that belief in me and my stories.

Josh Adams

My good friend Sara B. Larson read my manuscript and fell head-over-heels in love with it--so much so that she volunteered to recommend it to her agent, Josh Adams. He was sick with chickenpox (poor guy!), so she waited until he was better to mention me and THE LOVELY INVISIBLE, my YA fantasy, a retelling of the Greek myth, "Cupid & Psyche." Within a few short days, I got an email from him saying he wanted to call about a "possible offer of representation." Cue butterflies of anticipation and random fits of giggling. And then, as luck would have it, I caught a terrible cold and lost my voice. I emailed Josh a picture of myself, asking him to envision what I really looked like when we spoke, and not an 80-year-old smoker. He later told me when he got that email, he busted up laughing and knew right then and there he'd love working with me. He thought it was so "cute" (aww) that I was worried enough about my voice to feel compelled to do that. And telling me that endeared me to him. (He likes my weird personality! I can be myself with him! We're going to get on great!) That's how I felt during our entire phone conversation--so at ease, but also like I was in the hands of a pro, a business-savvy, personable power agent--WHO LOVES MY NOVEL. Does it get any better? Nope.

So, yes, this story has a happy ending. I am ECSTATIC, OVER THE MOON, WISH-I-COULD-SCREAM-IF-I-HAD-A-VOICE HAPPY to announce I'm now represented by the fantastic, one-of-a-kind Josh Adams of Adams Literary. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and am beyond grateful for the opportunity to partner with someone so amazing for my publishing career.

I believe in good things to come.