tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17460503823289750472024-03-18T23:28:27.704-04:00Literary RamblesCasey McCormickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02787815672519189433noreply@blogger.comBlogger1790125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-27456471699201370962024-03-18T03:00:00.003-04:002024-03-18T03:00:00.233-04:00Debut Author Interview: Anne Rellihan Interview and Not the Worst Friend in the World Giveaway<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited
to have debut author Anne Rellihan here to share about her debut MG contemporary mystery Not
the Worst Friend in the World. I’m excited to read it after reading the blurb that describes the main character as a modern-day Harriet the Spy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s a blurb from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150065062-not-the-worst-friend-in-the-world?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=wWgb7PaYBz&rank=1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GZkoS8Eq-Iia_8OcWyo2FZxyNXue3cvy56KEhRfNZMGWqgEEQHclht9p5PWS3Qw2eXUR3tJtNHbQnuPFmldrWGd9Oso28G8EuIJ6io1HnFknQ-TQftlrDG9RY5c-8YrJ0VJd4-a_6oBjeeedqwSMeyOWt1rxm0iRybnA5KR5Dsk7e9ZfcK5rNbOCt1k/s3806/Rellihan-Anne_headshot_Andrea%20Nigh%20Photography.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3806" data-original-width="3806" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GZkoS8Eq-Iia_8OcWyo2FZxyNXue3cvy56KEhRfNZMGWqgEEQHclht9p5PWS3Qw2eXUR3tJtNHbQnuPFmldrWGd9Oso28G8EuIJ6io1HnFknQ-TQftlrDG9RY5c-8YrJ0VJd4-a_6oBjeeedqwSMeyOWt1rxm0iRybnA5KR5Dsk7e9ZfcK5rNbOCt1k/s320/Rellihan-Anne_headshot_Andrea%20Nigh%20Photography.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can Lou
Bennett keep a secret? She’ll do just about anything to prove herself to her
new friend—and the best friend she betrayed—in this debut novel that is a
modern-day Harriet the Spy with high emotional stakes.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">It’s the thirty-fourth day of sixth grade at Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Missouri, and eleven-year-old Lou
wishes she could rewind time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Lou wants to go back to the ninth day of sixth
grade—the day before she fought with her best friend Francie and said the
terrible, horrible things she can’t unsay. Or better yet, she would go back to
fifth grade when Francie was still the Old Francie.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Then the new girl, Cece Clark-Duncan, passes Lou
a mysterious note. It says she was kidnapped. (!) If Lou can help Cece, maybe
she can prove she’s not the world’s worst friend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But as observant Lou uncovers the complicated
truth about Cece’s family, she starts to panic. Can she help Cece without
hurting her? Or will Lou end up losing another friend instead?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Anchored by an outstanding voice and a
page-turning mystery, this remarkable debut novel honors the powerful middle
school friendships that can both break and heal a tender eleven-year-old heart.
Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and My Jasper June.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQSAK1cXF40iNgFias1LPIqg0REzrBheVNUM6F_rDQVz9tmEq_C7EX6mMxnxbKPv54LMYA7rtEEY1-ERtX8fUklkbnu_yHDXD2bvTIEyOjqAuz0CmUBD-HlNRNU2eiHFf4FwVXlZFNsp_Of0_1-czB6LuVHGxCUd2BvE20aBDTCQFsbP1nTRPuYg7xQ/s2775/Wendigo%20Nights%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1843" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfQSAK1cXF40iNgFias1LPIqg0REzrBheVNUM6F_rDQVz9tmEq_C7EX6mMxnxbKPv54LMYA7rtEEY1-ERtX8fUklkbnu_yHDXD2bvTIEyOjqAuz0CmUBD-HlNRNU2eiHFf4FwVXlZFNsp_Of0_1-czB6LuVHGxCUd2BvE20aBDTCQFsbP1nTRPuYg7xQ/w133-h200/Wendigo%20Nights%20Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Follower News</u></b></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before I
get to Anne’s interview, I have Follower News to share. Shannon Lawrence has a
new release, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Myth
Stalker: Wendigo Nights. Here’s a blurb: <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">When Selina gets a shocking call from her mentor she must set aside
everything she knows about Wendigo and find a solution that will save a
loved one's soul.</span> Here are a few links: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website: </span><u><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://www.thewarriormuse.com/">www.thewarriormuse.com</a></span></u><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc;"> </span><span style="background: white;">Purchase link: </span><a href="https://books2read.com/u/4AaOJd"><span style="background: white;">https://books2read.com/u/4AaOJd</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Interview With </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Anne Rellihan</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Anne!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Tell us
about yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I grew up
wanting to be an author. I was constantly reading and writing, and I would
write books and gift them to my friends, family, and teachers. As I got older,
I thought the way to have a career in writing was to be a journalist, so I
majored in Journalism, but English, too, because I still loved literature and
creative writing. I quickly figured out that I didn’t love reporting the news,
so I joined Teach For America after college and spent ten years teaching 3</span><sup style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">rd</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
4</span><sup style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and 5</span><sup style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> grades. After my second son was born in
2017, I left the classroom and got serious about writing. Not the Worst Friend
in the World was the first book I wrote—although it’s changed a lot from the
initial draft to the book it is now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Where
did you get the idea for Not the Worst Friend in the World?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I drew
inspiration from the books I loved to read as a kid, my own experiences growing
up, and my students over the years. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten
through high school, so I included that experience in the book. I also have
such strong memories of my friendships at that age, and how important they were
to me, so that was a big part of the inspiration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Writing Process</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. That’s
great that you drew on your own experiences for the idea for this book. How did
you plot out the mystery of Cece’s kidnapping and Lou’s attempts to find her?
Do you have any tips and resources for MG and YA writers who want to write a
mystery, including me?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">A lot of
the specific scenes where Cece and Lou find clues and are actively trying to
track down Cece’s mom were added on revision. The general plot remained the
same, but I added a lot to make the story more mysterious and tie all the clues
together. So my best piece of advice is to not be afraid to revise. Drafting is
the hardest part of the process for me, so I would say the most important thing
is to get a story down because once it’s there you can add, change, and cut as
much as you need to make it work together the way you want it to.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Drafting
is hardest for me too. One of the appeals of your story is that Lou is such a
compelling character, and it sounds like your story tugs at readers’ hearts.
How did you develop Lou as a character?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQxu0oBZbaxWkqumuqMB8j2ffDNzdRzZG1sZC3FYshjovaUet8v6oSBNJYRSw0jLn1-ZA124ai_VzUB5GNlcgyBdz9dj_O_iA6uK2rpYpnic9aeMLr_hmFxt7mbEC5OuUUx8iR0JJRjX0_YfL2KWSjLbZYDDOUu3SIn1SUoG6dBVD-VVZ8GfUv4tPVoA/s2250/Not%20the%20Worst%20Friend.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQxu0oBZbaxWkqumuqMB8j2ffDNzdRzZG1sZC3FYshjovaUet8v6oSBNJYRSw0jLn1-ZA124ai_VzUB5GNlcgyBdz9dj_O_iA6uK2rpYpnic9aeMLr_hmFxt7mbEC5OuUUx8iR0JJRjX0_YfL2KWSjLbZYDDOUu3SIn1SUoG6dBVD-VVZ8GfUv4tPVoA/s320/Not%20the%20Worst%20Friend.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I tried to
get inside Lou’s head as much as possible by envisioning what she would do in a
number of different situations. I also wrote scenes from her perspective that
weren’t included in the book just to make sure I really knew her inside and out
and could convey her convincingly on the page.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. I saw
that you were in the Author Match Program. Tell us about what that program is
and how it helped you strengthen your writing and your manuscript.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Author
Mentor Match was an invaluable experience for me. I submitted my manuscript to
a number of agented and published middle grade authors, and it was selected my
Megan E. Freeman and Nicole M. Hewitt. They read my full manuscript, sent me a
detailed editorial letter, and we met over Zoom to discuss their proposed
changes. They were both so insightful and really understood the book and the
characters, and so all of their feedback was spot on and was critical in
helping me tell the story I had set out to tell.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Road
to Publication</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. That’s
great that your mentors were so helpful. Your agent is Elizabeth Bennett. How
did she become your agent and what was your road to getting a publishing
contract like?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I finished
working with Megan and Nicole in September of 2021. Elizabeth, who is not
usually open to unsolicited queries, opened for a short time in December 2021.
She posted that she was looking for a heartfelt middle grade or YA story, so I
queried her right away. I got another offer of rep shortly after submitting to
her, and then Elizabeth offered, too. I felt confident in Elizabeth’s
experience and belief in the story, and I couldn’t be happier or feel luckier
to have her as my agent. I signed with her in January 2022, and she took my
manuscript out on submission a few weeks later. The book was out on submission
for three weeks before we got an offer from Sally Morgridge at Holiday House.
Sally and Holiday House have been amazing and such a wonderful fit for me and
my book. I’ve felt incredibly lucky and like the stars have aligned for me more
than once on this journey.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. Wow!
That’s an amazingly quick turn around time from getting an agent to getting a
publishing contract. Share something you learned from working with your agent
or editor about your writing craft and how this strengthened your manuscript.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sally had
some really helpful insights into some of the side characters, especially
Cece’s grandmother and Francie. That helped me to grow in the ways that I
develop all characters and make sure that every person who appears in the book
is a full and complete character.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Promoting
Your Book</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. Your
book was recently released. What did you do to celebrate it, and how are you promoting
your book?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been
incredibly lucky to have had lots of launch celebrations with my family, my
friends, and my community. Launch day was February 6</span><sup style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and that
afternoon I had an After School Book Party at The Learning Tree, a local toy
and book store. We had a great turn out and that was my first opportunity to
sign books! I also did a private launch party for family and friends, presented
to the middle schoolers at my kids’ school, and had the incredible opportunity
to discuss the book and lead a writing workshop for young writers at Rainy Day
Books, an amazing independent bookstore here in Kansas City.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. What advice do you have for those of us
who are unpublished about developing your social media platform and getting
ready for your book’s release?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Make sure you have a website so readers
have an easy way to learn about the book and can also contact you. I try to
keep my website and social media platforms consistent. And the most important
aspect of social media for me is connecting with other writers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m drafting a second middle grade novel
now, but it’s been slow going as I’m juggling writing, this book release, and
my four kiddos, who are eight, seven, four, and almost one. My goal is complete
it within the year!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Anne.
You can find Anne at annerellihan.com, @anne.rellihan on Instagram, and @annerellihan
on X</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anne’s publisher is generously
offering a hardback of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not
the Worst Friend in the World</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span lang="EN-CA">f</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">or a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a
follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the
right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 30th. <b>If your email is not
on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.
Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Anne on her
social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra
entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway
is U.S.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous
Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating
blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 27th I have an agent/author guest post by agent </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span color="windowtext">Rachel Orr and debut author </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cathy Carr and a
giveaway of Cathy’s MG contemporary Lost Kites and Other Treasures</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday,
April 1st I’m participating in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
April 3rd I have an interview with debut author Trish Lundy and a giveaway of
her YA thriller </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The One That Got Away
With Murder and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
April 8th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paula Weiman and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
April 15th I have a review and giveaway of Finally Heard by Kelly Yang</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday,
April 16th I’m participating in the Rain Drop on Roses Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
April 22nd I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hillary Fazzari and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope to see you on Wednesday!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-2232436807951904172024-03-16T09:00:00.007-04:002024-03-16T09:00:00.256-04:00Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXukP6mu-WqUDNIu6nKfr_ck_kaGmJStd6I2ZT20nPC1Fk-vfAYQFLFc_gGMWfzoHgi0CRQ8wYfygYqw4Siq-M6ycENb841y-fM-XOMBNCuxdIYhsHl-j3ISFjD0xkGX2nPpKTdcxNenBFdQi53DOX03TAa7Zvz6_S_niYki3Xx69CWNcV4E08tkn9hI/s300/March%20Chasing%20Rainbow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXukP6mu-WqUDNIu6nKfr_ck_kaGmJStd6I2ZT20nPC1Fk-vfAYQFLFc_gGMWfzoHgi0CRQ8wYfygYqw4Siq-M6ycENb841y-fM-XOMBNCuxdIYhsHl-j3ISFjD0xkGX2nPpKTdcxNenBFdQi53DOX03TAa7Zvz6_S_niYki3Xx69CWNcV4E08tkn9hI/s1600/March%20Chasing%20Rainbow.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Saturday Everyone! Today I'm excited
to participate in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop hosted by </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/223243680795190417" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span color="windowtext">MamatheFox</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I hope you're enjoying a warmer
and earlier start to spring. We are here in Michigan, and I'm loving being able
to get outside and walk and work in my yard earlier than normal.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card</u></b></span></span></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on
Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to
reading. If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Giveaway Details</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 31st telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 18th I have an interview with debut author Anne Rellihan and a
giveaway of her MG contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 27th I have an agent/author guest post by agent </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span color="windowtext">Rachel Orr and debut author </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cathy Carr and a
giveaway of Cathy’s MG contemporary Lost Kites and Other Treasures</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday,
April 1st I’m participating in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
April 3rd I have an interview with debut author Trish Lundy and a giveaway of
her YA thriller </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The One That Got Away
With Murder and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to see you on
Monday!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div></div> <!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=830482&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
</script>
<!-- end InLinkz script --><p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-50956474627694845762024-03-11T06:00:00.003-04:002024-03-13T13:23:31.446-04:00Literary Agent Interview: Rebecca Lawrence Interview and Query Critique Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I’m thrilled to have agent Rebecca Lawrence here. She’s a junior
literary agent at </span><a href="http://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/contact-us.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The Booker Albert Literary Agency.</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Hi Rebecca! Thanks so
much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About Rebecca:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">1. Tell us how you
became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an
agent.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx3VRtUhyphenhyphenmBIEV573768EDY2gZfZCuZFiegGfT2H9OZ_wbwHoN2zz0Hq2mwwwEwXNH2kR6KwB7Ya3LuW-RB3AsR964kq_oT9rRjh6caZwdIa6-3-g-kB0GFYkFoIIGxM4KD6PHuWmNZzPiR-XVtkELXgZyFrSppmGvO_hyphenhyphen2eVEbYxIH8drfeDbMjKr7I/s3215/IMG_20220510_161638251_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3215" data-original-width="2410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx3VRtUhyphenhyphenmBIEV573768EDY2gZfZCuZFiegGfT2H9OZ_wbwHoN2zz0Hq2mwwwEwXNH2kR6KwB7Ya3LuW-RB3AsR964kq_oT9rRjh6caZwdIa6-3-g-kB0GFYkFoIIGxM4KD6PHuWmNZzPiR-XVtkELXgZyFrSppmGvO_hyphenhyphen2eVEbYxIH8drfeDbMjKr7I/s320/IMG_20220510_161638251_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">While in college around two years ago, I began an internship at
ArtHouse Literary Agency. That internship really opened my eyes to what kind of
responsibilities an agent has, and I really enjoyed the people and my time
there. Last May I moved to the Booker Albert Literary Agency where I became a
Junior Agent in September, 2023. I’m actively building a list focused on YA,
though I am also interested in select MG and Adult. I am currently working on
securing contracts for the first few manuscripts that I have signed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About the Agency:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">2. Share a bit about
your agency and what it offers to its authors.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Booker Albert Literary Agency is based in Pennsylvania and has
been around for over ten years. We offer a heavily personalized experience and
work very closely with our authors. We are actively working on building up YA
titles, breaking into the international market, and expanding the agency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What She’s Looking
For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">3. What age groups do
you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and
what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I represent MG, YA, and Adult. One day in the future, I might try and
break into PB, but it’s not a genre that I’m that interested in at the moment. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Books that have complete feeling endings. As an avid reader, I have
made it a habit to wait for highly anticipated series (</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Cruel Prince</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">)
to be completely out before I read it. Some of my favorite books (</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">House of
the Scorpion, The Scorpio Races) </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">are standalones or read like standalones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What She <u>Isn’t</u>
Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">5. What types of
submissions are you not interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Romance as a main plot. I love romance as a
subplot, but I need something else in the mix to keep my attention. I’m also
not a good fit for super spicy romance. PG-13 is about my comfort range when it
comes to explicit sexual content (especially when it comes sexual assault or
abuse).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dark books are not my cup of tea. I’m an
escapist type of reader.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I would love to work with nonfiction, but it is hard to sell without
an established platform.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Agent Philosophy:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">6. What is your
philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and
the books you want to represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I primarily look for books that I would seek out as a reader. While I
love reading things that are unique, I often tend to gravitate toward very
grounded characters. The most important thing for me is that I can relate with
and sympathize with the main cast. While I do like the occasional antihero, I
tend to relate more to characters that have a moral compass that lands on the
good side.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My philosophy toward authors is that I look for people who have
experience in publishing, a platform, or have held off on self-publishing many
books on Amazon. I love debut authors though, and the story always matters more
than the author’s credentials.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Editorial Agent:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">7. Are you an
editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your
authors before submitting to editors?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am an editorial agent, and my process is different for every author.
I try to adapt to each author’s style and figure out what works best for them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Query Methods and
Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">8. How should authors
query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I accept queries through query
manager. Something really important to me is a complete synopsis. While I enjoy
reading sample pages, I really want to find books that have a great plot and
voice, and I can’t evaluate a plot if I don’t have a synopsis. Endings are
something that I put a lot of importance on, and most of the time, I need the
book to have a happy ending.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes the beginning of a story can be very confusing, especially
with high concept fiction like sci-fi or epic fantasy. My advice to authors is
to craft a hook/first chapter that introduces an intriguing concept or tension
while introducing the characters and world in a palatable way. Too many worldbuilding
or plot details in the first chapter can be disorienting or confusing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I do not require a personalized query
letter. I really appreciate people who did do the research to personalize it, and
I really dislike a form query that tries to pretend to be personalized.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Response Time:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">10. What’s your
response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For queries I try to get back within two weeks. If I have held onto a
query for longer than that, it means that it has landed in the maybe pile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For full requests, I would ask for three months before the author
follows up. I often reply faster than that, but currently I am going through my
fulls based on the specific genres/troupes that I want to put on my list.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Self-Published and
Small Press Authors:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">11. Are you open to representing authors who have
self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have
for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am open to both, but my advice for these people
in particular is to self-promote. It is always really great to see an author
making an effort to build a platform. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 254.95pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Clients:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">2. Who are some of
the authors you represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I currently have several clients that are in
the process of choosing pen names and working on starting social media accounts,
but currently I have three authors that I would love to promote.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sheri Yutzy</span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;"> is an Acquisitions Editor at
sparkflashfiction.com and <span style="letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">writes
thoughtful and inspirational pieces for women’s magazines. Her writing has won
multiple awards, appeared in <i>Casting Call,</i> a Havok Publishing
anthology, and </span><i>House Between the Branches</i>, an anthology from
Nightshade Publishing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading to her children,
tending her cottage garden, or planning a family hike. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sheriyutzyauthor/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.instagram.com/sheriyutzyauthor/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nicole Luiken </span><span style="background: rgb(251, 251, 251); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">is the author of fifteen traditionally-published novels. <i>Violet
Eyes</i> and <i>Silver Eyes</i> were put out by Pocket Books, and her adult
novel <i>Running on Instinct</i> was published by Tor/Forge. Her YA novels have
won two Golden Eagle Children's Book Award and a Gold-Medal Moonbeam. Her most
recent YA novel, <i>Feral</i>, received a positive review from Kirkus, calling
it a “howling good time” and was a finalist for the Snow Willow Award
(Saskatchewan).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleLuiken"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://twitter.com/NicoleLuiken</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zachary Long is currently working as a
professional artist and graphic designer. He has spent many years as a
freelance blog writer in the marketing world and University Writing Center
Editor before taking the leap to pursue publication of a novel. Though he is
currently working on building his writing social media, he is well established
on Instagram as an artist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/zachary_writez/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.instagram.com/zachary_writez/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Interviews and Guest
Posts:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">13. Please share the
links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful
to writers interested in querying you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/rebecca-lawrence/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/rebecca-lawrence/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://bookish.netgalley.com/bookish-lifestyle/05/2023/how-to-start-a-booktok-tiktok/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://bookish.netgalley.com/bookish-lifestyle/05/2023/how-to-start-a-booktok-tiktok/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Links and Contact
Info:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">14. Please share how
writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To submit to me please fill out the form on
my query manager.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://querymanager.com/query/rebecca"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://querymanager.com/query/rebecca</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can find me on Instagram.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/beccalawrence_/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.instagram.com/beccalawrence_/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Additional Advice</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">15. Is there any other
advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t take rejection personally. I have,
unfortunately, had to pass on some great books because of my list. Everything
comes down to timing. If you have a really solid book, perseverance is your
friend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The best thing an aspiring author can do is
build a platform. Lots of authors feel lost and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">overwhelmed when it comes to social media,
so the best way to tackle this is to take small steps and work toward a goal.
Looking at successful examples and just starting and experimenting and being
consistent is enough to kickstart the process. When it comes to marketing, I
would encourage authors to take classes, read blogs, and listen to podcasts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When it comes to the actual craft of
writing, I tend to think that experience is the best teacher. Keep writing. If
one book isn’t getting any attention, then moving on to another book is the
best thing to do. Most debut authors publish the third or fourth book that they
have written. Brandon Sanderson wrote 13 books before he managed to sell one. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Rebecca.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rebecca is generously offering a query critique to one
lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through
March 23rd. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background: white;">If your email is not
on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter
the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me
know in the comments.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you
an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have any experience with this agent? See something that
needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at </span><a href="mailto:natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on
agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything
you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is
subject to change.</span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts,
and Blog Hops</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing
Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, March 18th I have an interview with debut
author Anne Rellihan and a giveaway of her MG contemporary/mystery Not the
Worst Friend in the World</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview
with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, March 27th I have an agent/author guest post by
agent Rachel Orr and debut author </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cathy Carr and a
giveaway of Cathy’s MG contemporary Lost Kites and Other Treasures</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday, April 1st I’m participating in the Honey Bunny
Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, April 3rd I have an interview with debut author
Trish Lundy and a giveaway of her YA thriller </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The One That Got Away With Murder and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope
to see you on Saturday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-8132593019388654702024-03-06T05:00:00.005-05:002024-03-06T05:00:00.149-05:00How to Grow Your Career as an Author: Interview with Rajani LaRocca and Sona and the Golden Beasts Giveaway<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m beyond
thrilled to have Rajani LaRocca here to share about her new MG fantasy <a name="_Hlk159672797">Sona and the Golden Beasts </a>giveaway. I’m super excited
to read it because it’s a fantasy that deals with a lot of contemporary issues.
And I’m a huge fan of Rajani’s, so I already know it’ll be good. You can learn
more about Rajani by reading her </span><a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/2019/05/rajani-larocca-and-brent-taylor-guest.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">guest post with
her agent Brent Taylor</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> when she was a debut author in 2019.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s a blurb of Sona and the Golden
Beasts from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177317638-sona-and-the-golden-beasts?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=5OrrSqrEvZ&rank=1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm4Y3Rsz7tUCejYxq78wRbRi_voSJPic7qjjiHdI-0eT9xl3EcCqjxXNZIN9wzuvxTHRjMpnMqm6gNGhyphenhyphenWyRhj_u4tKESYUrfwZcJoGJnQZg80V1n2TR0D4q3K5WwBtgp3IN6owQ2dyT-kPv61LBeV0EDqne2ra8tAAe7BtzOgSmKNKEDxu0WzbQsbeQ/s1800/Rajani%20LaRocca%20Photo%20by%20Carter%20Hasegawa.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm4Y3Rsz7tUCejYxq78wRbRi_voSJPic7qjjiHdI-0eT9xl3EcCqjxXNZIN9wzuvxTHRjMpnMqm6gNGhyphenhyphenWyRhj_u4tKESYUrfwZcJoGJnQZg80V1n2TR0D4q3K5WwBtgp3IN6owQ2dyT-kPv61LBeV0EDqne2ra8tAAe7BtzOgSmKNKEDxu0WzbQsbeQ/s320/Rajani%20LaRocca%20Photo%20by%20Carter%20Hasegawa.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sona hears
music everywhere, even though it has been outlawed in the land of Devia. Sona
is a descendant of the Malechs—foreigners who took over the governing of Devia
hundreds of years ago. Malechs put Devans to work mining gems and forbade music
so Devans couldn’t cast their magic.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But Sona’s world shifts after discovering an
orphaned wolf pup. She believes the pup, with its golden ears, might be related
to one of the five sacred beasts of Devia which a Malechian Hunter has been
killing, one by one. And when someone Sona loves falls ill, she is drawn into a
quest with a Devan boy to retrieve the nectar of life.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">On the perilous journey, Sona must try to avoid
the deadly Hunter while keeping her companions safe. As she uncovers secrets
about the Malechian empire and her own identity, Sona realizes that the fate of
the sacred beasts and the future of Devia, just might come down to her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before I get to Rajani’s interview post, I have my IWSG post.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9WYogZF4D6UKbDuxr_nZz_P96ygf9r5hCwyqsv7iSV9ocUiELET4qy9V9Jcoy3Z_JVT4LbsuaIlFImb_xkgKu1qzuGXmrSpLybPyu_ReiJSsjNjalmg6Dsp3MffiZJ0t5Z05B803OAzvSMSBS1I6-utAQo5ZI-joL8ab0oFGtWH4RSpIergIH7Ei1j4/s200/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="200" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9WYogZF4D6UKbDuxr_nZz_P96ygf9r5hCwyqsv7iSV9ocUiELET4qy9V9Jcoy3Z_JVT4LbsuaIlFImb_xkgKu1qzuGXmrSpLybPyu_ReiJSsjNjalmg6Dsp3MffiZJ0t5Z05B803OAzvSMSBS1I6-utAQo5ZI-joL8ab0oFGtWH4RSpIergIH7Ei1j4/s1600/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Posting: The first Wednesday is officially </span><a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Insecure Writer's Support Group </span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Day.</span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns
without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire
can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of
all kinds!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The awesome co-hosts this month
are: </span><b><span style="background: white; color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://kristinaseyes.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Kristina Kelly,</span></a> <a href="https://miffieseideman.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Miffie
Seideman,</span></a> <a href="http://jeanddavis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Jean Davis,</span></a> </span></b><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">and</span></b><b><span style="background: white; color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Liza @ Middle Passages!</span></a></span></b><span style="background: white; color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Optional
Question: Have you “played” with Al to write those nasty synopsis, or do you
refuse to go that route? How do you feel about Al’s impact on creative writing?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I haven't used
Al to write a synopsis because I haven’t had to write one since I started using
Al. But I see Al as a tool to use to write synopsis, blurbs, outlines, and
other things related to writing that don’t involve writing a manuscript. As I’ve
discussed in other posts, I already use Al to write articles for attorney
websites for my job, and then add to them and edit the articles heavily.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t
think Al has a place in writing stories. In my opinion, those should all be
written by an author. As a reader, I’m not interested in reading Al-generated
books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Interview
With Rajani LaRocca on How to Grow Your Career as an Author</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Rajani!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Natalie!
I’m excited to be doing this interview with you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tell us about
yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have loved books for my
entire life and did a lot of creative writing in elementary through high
school. I also loved math and science and decided at a young age that I wanted
to go into medicine someday.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my high school creative
writing class, I told my teacher, “I love writing, but I know this isn’t going
to be my career. One day, I hope I can become a doctor.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He said, “Who says you have
to choose?” And the next day, he brought in a bunch of books by authors who
happened to be doctors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That moment planted a seed
in my head—one that didn’t sprout until decades later, when I’d finished
college, medical school, and residency, was established in my medical practice,
and my own children were in school.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I started taking writing
classes to reignite my creativity. At first, I didn’t intend to try to be
published. But I quickly realized I wanted to write for kids, because the books
I read as a child had the biggest influence on me. And so if I wanted anyone
other than my own children to read my stories, I needed to try to get
published. I made wonderful writing friends and critique partners who were all
on the same path. I rolled up my sleeves and worked hard to make my writing as
good as it could possibly be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After several years and many
rejections, I signed with my wonderful agent. And six years later, I have
published fifteen books for young readers, with three more coming this year,
and even more on the way. It’s truly been an incredible journey, and I’m very
grateful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Where did you get the idea for Sona and
the Golden Beasts?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve always been a huge fan
of fantasy. I grew up reading </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Chronicles of Narnia</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Book of
Three, On a Pale Horse</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Lord of the Rings</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I absolutely
loved those books and read them over and over.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But as I got older, I
reflected on the fact that despite my love for these stories, they tended to
portray characters from other (non-European, darker-skinned) cultures as “bad.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m a big fan of British
literature and have visited Britain many times and enjoyed myself every time.
But thinking with the British colonization of India and its aftermath has been
difficult for me. I recognize that my parents speaking English and immigrating
to the U.S. is a result of that colonial history, and I wouldn’t be the person
I am without it. But that doesn’t make the centuries-long British exploitation
of India—and other places all over the world—okay.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So that’s how I came up with
the idea for </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sona and the Golden Beasts</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I wanted to write a fantasy
adventure like the ones I’ve always loved, but to center a society that’s more
like my own, and to tackle the issues of colonialism and who gets to tell
history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Writing Process and Growing Your Career as an Author</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9oVnHRSelJuggAIMNAtPsjghGUFz-qrzV98AJurGkHMeJbzTFDDR0e5fMBwh2dSVIIcvIz-HU7PcbsKo1__cNuAF_PH0gwm4_lQf-wdzcDRjfTPaT61zLvCjiYRjaZoKsxIv1BAnyshPhNMrSYqVh16BWxuQBwTf366VpbI8FIiAAy0KCqf49exJqVA/s2550/SonaAndTheGoldenBeasts_c.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9oVnHRSelJuggAIMNAtPsjghGUFz-qrzV98AJurGkHMeJbzTFDDR0e5fMBwh2dSVIIcvIz-HU7PcbsKo1__cNuAF_PH0gwm4_lQf-wdzcDRjfTPaT61zLvCjiYRjaZoKsxIv1BAnyshPhNMrSYqVh16BWxuQBwTf366VpbI8FIiAAy0KCqf49exJqVA/s320/SonaAndTheGoldenBeasts_c.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. I’ve loved those books since I was a
kid too. And there weren’t any books with Chinese-American girls for my
daughter, who was adopted from China when she was a kid either. Your story
deals with a lot of contemporary issues in a fantasy setting. Share a bit about
why you decided to include these themes in Sona and the Golden Beasts and how
this affected your world-building.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I knew I wanted to write
about two different sets of people—the Devans, the native residents of Devia, and
the Malech—the colonizing people, some of whom have lived in Devia for several
generations. I knew that the Devans were pacifists and would not kill, not even
to rid themselves of the colonizing force, and the Malechs felt their own willingness
to use force made them superior. I created myths and legends for both the
Devans and the Malechs. The main distinguishing physical characteristic between
the two peoples is that Devans have golden ears, and the Malechs do not. So the
unfair laws that the Malechs have imposed upon the Devans include forcing them
to keep their ears visible at all times, and outlawing music, which is how
Devans cast magic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's clear that the
situation in Devia is unjust. But in terms of the characters, I wanted to make
it much less clear who is “good” and who is “bad.” Early on, someone Sona loves
tells Sona that “people are not good or bad. It is our actions that are good or
bad.” Sona is a Malech, but because she loves a Devan woman who helped raise
her, she goes on a quest to find the Nectar of Life to help save that person’s
life. And Sona hears music everywhere and has a special affinity for
animals—both of which are Devan characteristics. When she finds an orphaned
wolf pup with golden ears, Sona thinks the pup must be related to one of the
five Golden Beasts of Devia, which legends say are vital to the country.
Traveling across the country with the wolf pup, a broken-down pony, and a Devan
boy named Raag, Sona discovers secrets about the Malechian Empire and her own background
and ends up on a mission to save all of Devia . . . all while trying to evade a
vicious Malechian hunter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. This is your sixth published novel, and
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan will be released in in May 2024. You’ve also had nine
picture books published with another being published in 2024—all since you
debuted in 2019. Plus, you’re a doctor, wife, and mother. How do you squeeze in
the time to write and stay so productive?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When you love something, you
make time for it. Writing started off as something I did only for myself, and
so I found time to do it. And like most working moms, I wasn’t precious about
when or when I wrote. I would write early in the morning, or late at night. I
would write while parked waiting for my kids to get out of school, or in the
lobby while they were at their piano lessons. I wrote in planes and trains and
cars (although not while driving!)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We can’t control many things
in publishing or in life, but we can control our own actions. So I try to be
smart about planning on my time and try to always meet my deadlines.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I first came back to
writing, I was afraid I’d run out of ideas. Now I know that I have too many
ideas, and I have to choose carefully what I work on next!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMK5OTTBNyEKiraCyoG2CbpNMsJ9lPZkJCH9uO4V1Ng0LtVX3dw59KohXRDJls0mS02dM-2SZL2uJ_45w97pm5CUAkloBoKeTKe-bd0aVgl0SrCneMlCUuKzyVZlWfsk9la6kO5JxsbgBWYWf_1McYSHnYH4-frqF7rbSPauXziigBtnHTufIqtkSPN0/s2100/Midsummers%20Mayhem.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMK5OTTBNyEKiraCyoG2CbpNMsJ9lPZkJCH9uO4V1Ng0LtVX3dw59KohXRDJls0mS02dM-2SZL2uJ_45w97pm5CUAkloBoKeTKe-bd0aVgl0SrCneMlCUuKzyVZlWfsk9la6kO5JxsbgBWYWf_1McYSHnYH4-frqF7rbSPauXziigBtnHTufIqtkSPN0/s320/Midsummers%20Mayhem.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. That’s great advice to squeeze in the
time to write when you can. How did you plot out Sona and the Golden Beasts?
How has the process of plotting out your novels changed since you wrote Midsummer’s
Mayhem, your debut novel?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Midsummer’s Mayhem</span></i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> was
the book that taught me, through trial and error, how to write a book . . . and
it took me 4+ years to write. Since then, I have streamlined my process a bit
more and figure out the main plot points before I start writing. But I don’t
figure <i>everything</i> out, and still leave a lot of the story to play out
while I’m drafting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. It sounds like we have similar plotting
systems. How long does it take for you to draft and revise a manuscript before
submitting it to your publisher? Share some tips on how writers can write
faster and be more productive like you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some books still take longer
than others, but in general it takes me 9-12 months to draft and revise a novel
so it’s in the right shape to send to my editor. I do a decent amount of prep
work before drafting. Some things I’ve found helpful are:</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Character work: For my main characters, I figure out some
characteristics and quirks and big personality traits (what they love, what
they fear, what they want, etc). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Plot: I figure out big plot points and brainstorm a list of
possible scenes, then whittle those down.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Using my time strategically. Drafting a novel is the hardest
thing to do (for me), so I set aside time when I’m at my best—first thing in
the morning, before anyone is asking me for anything.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Journey to Publication and How It's Grown</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. You’re giving me hope that I can learn
to write faster like you. Brent Taylor is your agent. How did he become your
agent, and what was your road to publication like?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vdTBP9FMc2YPlRuoXYLaCzANfRvrfBo_HqEoEf6b_aFUOJ2thGOAFlrLIA6A-1vQCf4YQqyVEK5rLFLNbf-kdU3JguLyLCGhoDtczSNp4Yh9jrgowaUNWszFGef7cMvt16v0Ox9U40Cz83w8ypASt24iMRpLr1rMLZCY40vxaGn5FbTqH8WHLFdXaCc/s1000/Red%20White.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vdTBP9FMc2YPlRuoXYLaCzANfRvrfBo_HqEoEf6b_aFUOJ2thGOAFlrLIA6A-1vQCf4YQqyVEK5rLFLNbf-kdU3JguLyLCGhoDtczSNp4Yh9jrgowaUNWszFGef7cMvt16v0Ox9U40Cz83w8ypASt24iMRpLr1rMLZCY40vxaGn5FbTqH8WHLFdXaCc/s320/Red%20White.jpg" width="212" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2017, I was lucky enough
to have </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Midsummer’s Mayhem</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> selected for Pitch Wars. My mentor was
amazing author Joy McCullough, and she gave me fantastic editing advice and
held my hand (virtually) all the way through as I revised the novel I’d been
working on for 4 years in just a few weeks! At the end of Pitch Wars, Brent was
the first agent to request the manuscript, and when I sent it, he read it right
away and responded the same night, asking to talk the next day. Although I
received other offers of representation, I knew that Brent was the right agent
for me. In 2018, we sold </span><i style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Midsummer’s Mayhem</i><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and four picture books, and
the rest is history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That said, I’ve had, and
continue to have, plenty of rejection. It’s a part of publishing that never
goes away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. Many authors only have a few books
published. You’ve had an amazing number of picture books and middle grade books
published since 2019. How have you been so successful in continuing to sell so
many books? What advice do you have for the debut authors hoping to sell more
books?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My biggest piece of advice
is to write the best book(s) you can.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m interested in lots of
different things, and so I write about lots of different things. And I believe
that “diversifying”—writing novels and picture books, fiction and nonfiction,
serious and funny, in poetry and prose—has helped me publish a lot of books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Promoting Your Books</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. Share about how you developed your
social media platform and marketed Midsummer’s Mayhem. How have you changed
your marketing of your books and growing your social media platforms since you
were a debut author?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For me, social media and marketing
need to be rooted in fun and joy, so that’s what I focus on. When it gets too
stressful, I take a step back. I’m part of a book promotion group, the Soaring
20s, and it’s always more fun to market with other people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. That would be really helpful to work
with a group of authors on marketing each other’s books. What advice do you
have for aspiring writers and debut authors about building their social media
platforms and marketing their first book?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyZQCo-Xp545qATMI8esx3f-OJlfem0bvD1FTj1V_aLiVQb_LhWXj19GHPsScFjICePxx1mirkHM5pxw1PKzT1nyPjkK_7K8uIkvp1cmRRtq8q7lDFRwjumc7VVFGivt7FIeGUOGV3KF6XJJW9wDSVG583JYbfx6hJpjrO9ZHRQKufLq2hldpMoTYVxQ/s2723/Mirror%20to%20Mirror.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2723" data-original-width="1803" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyZQCo-Xp545qATMI8esx3f-OJlfem0bvD1FTj1V_aLiVQb_LhWXj19GHPsScFjICePxx1mirkHM5pxw1PKzT1nyPjkK_7K8uIkvp1cmRRtq8q7lDFRwjumc7VVFGivt7FIeGUOGV3KF6XJJW9wDSVG583JYbfx6hJpjrO9ZHRQKufLq2hldpMoTYVxQ/s320/Mirror%20to%20Mirror.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do what you enjoy, and don’t
feel obligated to do anything you don’t like. Team up with friends. Be genuine and
stay positive.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">11. What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have my first YA novel (!)
coming next year. I’m also working on some picture books and a graphic novel
idea as well as my next MG novel!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice,
Rajani. You can find Rajani at </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks so much for having
me!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website: </span><a href="https://www.rajanilarocca.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.rajanilarocca.com/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Instagram: @rajanilarocca<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">X: @rajanilarocca<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rajanilaroccawriter">https://www.facebook.com/rajanilaroccawriter</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rajani’s publisher is generously
offering a hardback of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sona
and the Golden Beasts</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> f</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">or a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a
follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the
right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 16th. <b>If your email is not
on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.
Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Rajani on her social
media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for
each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</span></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Lawrence and a
query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday,
March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 18th I have an interview with debut author Anne Rellihan and a
giveaway of her MG contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday,
March 27th I have an agent/author guest post by agent </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span color="windowtext">Rachel Orr and debut author </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cathy Carr and a
giveaway of Cathy’s MG contemporary Lost Kites and Other Treasures</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday,
April 1st I’m participating in the Honey Bunny Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday,
April 3rd I have an interview with debut author Trish Lundy and a giveaway of
her YA thriller </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The One That Got Away
With Murder</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to see you on
Monday!</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-86734922530315215882024-03-01T09:00:00.009-05:002024-03-01T09:00:00.154-05:00Lady Luck Giveaway Hop<div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-0OsLhc5f-eeQbQAn8O8uClRulW3_s9UaLp_CsKVQO_jml9dj6F2yD0mNxtf3U0yPVCxhpwI4tG-JTRZZczPYsfQOoyZP6ymnN-QtXGNZ-ovfd291iNUiRTRR1W1jw04ExJUjaZ8Ls0-dc_20wwuKMQsa-QH4YcwW87Or5-ugwwzfgiRX7n9eV4Jtjc/s300/March%20Lady%20Luck%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-0OsLhc5f-eeQbQAn8O8uClRulW3_s9UaLp_CsKVQO_jml9dj6F2yD0mNxtf3U0yPVCxhpwI4tG-JTRZZczPYsfQOoyZP6ymnN-QtXGNZ-ovfd291iNUiRTRR1W1jw04ExJUjaZ8Ls0-dc_20wwuKMQsa-QH4YcwW87Or5-ugwwzfgiRX7n9eV4Jtjc/s1600/March%20Lady%20Luck%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Happy Friday Everyone! <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I'm excited to
participate in the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop hosted by </span><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I'm excited that it's the start of March because it means spring, warmer weather, and flowers will be coming within about six weeks. I'm super busy this month because I'm producing a play for a community theatre group, and we're just getting started. Opening night is in early May, so I'll be done with this project before Memorial Day. I'm committed to writing regularly during this time. I've been pretty good at keeaping this commitment so far.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon
Gift Card Giveaway</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">I’ve got a lot of exciting
newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can
also choose another book in the series by these authors or a book of your
choice. You can find descriptions of these books on </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/1170354533324894441">Goodreads.</a><span style="color: black;"> Here are your choices:<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYHNtmHtEIBLeQJ4FA88G2bsIZzN66zMRz_bX1g07G44irJZcWVcEUYwHEcuLUKHuT7oNKXXMTq0oMGye2ctbapf2F1daPaXVD1tsOyWuAvKSnz0mb0vycg-EGd2zm3Iq1ZpqK-1fjSOXB0YWNXpvmszUkSNQK7lMv8eHPQOeBMsIj68lZjCpk8Cgg6o/s445/Finally%20Heard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYHNtmHtEIBLeQJ4FA88G2bsIZzN66zMRz_bX1g07G44irJZcWVcEUYwHEcuLUKHuT7oNKXXMTq0oMGye2ctbapf2F1daPaXVD1tsOyWuAvKSnz0mb0vycg-EGd2zm3Iq1ZpqK-1fjSOXB0YWNXpvmszUkSNQK7lMv8eHPQOeBMsIj68lZjCpk8Cgg6o/w133-h200/Finally%20Heard.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3c7MBGf_T2UNkPzD5xeGbJGz9cxGgTMML7tRWXWzFZXwrpB41Yq8XDM_0fJe97FT1OKtxqu6g8BM5haNlZOQpR6QmIB2sW67lecI03U-L491_QUQ7YrtJcZdetkrgETnqXFSdJ5YTLeJln61beTsuE3H4ebskup4YtPlRxr3u7xJHV9W8v99Dy3EVEcU/s400/Magic%20Girls.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0fvXH5EqANtL2GuE1PuNfVN8OBWOq7xpJDeYPXQjcWRkhREOgB7VDdl8gSuCChCxslgtSkoULrh41yTzooTbb3TVIyEzeqRl1Z6TORf6K0kqkXqYH_6ZM-vAt6fXs3cXBv835I8ZMCCUEdRR62CnsUQwyCV3WH_8P45CeuLUg9tbGT3FzIIAHRGBfSw/s370/Ferris.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0fvXH5EqANtL2GuE1PuNfVN8OBWOq7xpJDeYPXQjcWRkhREOgB7VDdl8gSuCChCxslgtSkoULrh41yTzooTbb3TVIyEzeqRl1Z6TORf6K0kqkXqYH_6ZM-vAt6fXs3cXBv835I8ZMCCUEdRR62CnsUQwyCV3WH_8P45CeuLUg9tbGT3FzIIAHRGBfSw/w141-h200/Ferris.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4f_hTtDU3uC-YLVzNa9P9IjJfghntrAIV3ga1cTwG6QpsekZl7jZm8jEjK9tcNkjObiHlnRifkRSsYfWjbj3WktiDIt0KJS0tSdKwBT3k9o0fFy_Wr1LCFi1cdWBrJIZJAu-AFsz1BO9xE5z92uQbOnN1bYF1KrfFv1bmOO2AvQMl8w9dPEIY8FhZjg/s445/First%20stage%20of%20being.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="516" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv-ncRL12wzpDEw0c6BmDtKUTL_d65TujesrdXtFqmBQgyMdxIAFXqJZB5OuainEGNRizNz9xyKWwU79DqZCaSxlGvYiIs5-zp5EKckjFV8bvJmi_WvtjhQZ-qxdwHpf4-FiXRXLxuqEvI3Fsj0QgRBvuBauofUkMshEH8DXwR_jZ30lLwcZX0qfNGgM/w129-h200/Other%20Lola.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTM3yYY_my92dueSp466HkS-M6QLBx3FzSxT14kNtrTBmO7Q-CQMi6KDwEPAaN1SJ96SJvxoYfQP8JkGtBodDQOWbwmDudjub46-uU7DON7EOLCnpQBqh55kGjjKeWxfrUXMJutoSDVttt-mdjSZU6zOSuI5Wi_eE_YDid6CPWdnd0d2SgSrxCS1wD9M/s700/Prisoner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="465" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTM3yYY_my92dueSp466HkS-M6QLBx3FzSxT14kNtrTBmO7Q-CQMi6KDwEPAaN1SJ96SJvxoYfQP8JkGtBodDQOWbwmDudjub46-uU7DON7EOLCnpQBqh55kGjjKeWxfrUXMJutoSDVttt-mdjSZU6zOSuI5Wi_eE_YDid6CPWdnd0d2SgSrxCS1wD9M/w133-h200/Prisoner.png" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlkqSNZ4boiRjU8Cm4H6KVDX7aygyTKWIm58DCdKymKzrJDhGq39_UgmkK7K6m88VaVewY0VqyK6gfhSutQfX9bBvkKyD7FRSL88kFBc7LyVI190fL8YNzy3Yg9IEaCABV0Jls8DvL-vb1q1eUZRQYzgo19Egpq6eaL4sm0jAZuspwQIOk7i0yGohEBM/s800/Queen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlkqSNZ4boiRjU8Cm4H6KVDX7aygyTKWIm58DCdKymKzrJDhGq39_UgmkK7K6m88VaVewY0VqyK6gfhSutQfX9bBvkKyD7FRSL88kFBc7LyVI190fL8YNzy3Yg9IEaCABV0Jls8DvL-vb1q1eUZRQYzgo19Egpq6eaL4sm0jAZuspwQIOk7i0yGohEBM/w133-h200/Queen.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you haven't found a book
you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF8RG9lz5rQPXKnYRZt-vXp9pUSZ7BdZWRQjSuZeQB2slGXhQChsR9jc-uHoria1d5A92PFt4umxTNS8adaXmn9ygXrY-dNk0hDYxEaNGy7-bl7kth2_hW8w-fdmVMT1H6WN-f13CzcBpjHTCmXK643qe380l0GLLvyniEXb0BokNNejlFG11P9Mku-Q/s80/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="80" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggF8RG9lz5rQPXKnYRZt-vXp9pUSZ7BdZWRQjSuZeQB2slGXhQChsR9jc-uHoria1d5A92PFt4umxTNS8adaXmn9ygXrY-dNk0hDYxEaNGy7-bl7kth2_hW8w-fdmVMT1H6WN-f13CzcBpjHTCmXK643qe380l0GLLvyniEXb0BokNNejlFG11P9Mku-Q/w200-h150/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">Wednesday, March 6th I have an interview with author
Rajani LaRocca and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Sona and The Golden Beasts and
my IWSG post</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday, March 11th I have an agent spotlight interview
with Rebecca Lawrence and a query critique giveaway</span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday, March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing
Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday, March 18th I have an interview with debut
author </span><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anne Rellihan and a giveaway of her MG
contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday, March 20th I have an agent spotlight
interview with <span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti
Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope to see you on Wednesday!</span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><br /></div> <!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=830481&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
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<p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>
Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com70tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-39475069952758104662024-02-26T06:00:00.064-05:002024-02-26T06:00:00.149-05:00Debut Author Interview: Megan Brennan and Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess Giveaway<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Megan
Brennan here to share about her MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space
Princess. It sounds like a fun story that also tackles many issues middle
graders go through. I don’t read many graphic novels, but this one looks like
one I’d enjoy.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Link"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Here’s a blurb from </span></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/174146871-kira-and-the-maybe-space-princess?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4NsJDzncYW&rank=3"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Goodreads:</span></span></a></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Link"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEYQXtCSkdrxtD6c42M757aQqzY66GnmOFqH1voOML_O0Kmqit1QK8nBOTkZQxWu6CenJQamMxpgEySBOkFx_SgtYpijmxZSpYVxCVsMqUAFuFERiczbZFRe3a8noo7N0CsnBZGvPb4LxcR2a2Ev43_8y7EjtjwSxVnZJIjBIdk-xQROLwKkyZ7I5mW4/s700/meganbrennan_profilepic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="700" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEYQXtCSkdrxtD6c42M757aQqzY66GnmOFqH1voOML_O0Kmqit1QK8nBOTkZQxWu6CenJQamMxpgEySBOkFx_SgtYpijmxZSpYVxCVsMqUAFuFERiczbZFRe3a8noo7N0CsnBZGvPb4LxcR2a2Ev43_8y7EjtjwSxVnZJIjBIdk-xQROLwKkyZ7I5mW4/s320/meganbrennan_profilepic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Fashionable fights, flashy attacks, and friends
that are out of this world! This wacky and funny graphic novel series is a love
letter to manga fans. With a tongue in cheek humor and delightfully fun action
scenes, this series is perfect for fans of Sailor Moon , Cardcaptor Sakura ,
and Katie the Catsitter.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">There's
nothing cooler than Magical Girls - pretty superheroes fighting villains with
the power of friendship and glitter? What could be better than that! This year
in middle school, Kira is going to be cool and popular and have SO many friends
because she’s going to be a MAGICAL GIRL! ...Or not.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Frustrated
beyond belief, Kira makes a wish on a shooting star that her life will change –
and when Catacorn, a cat-unicorn-space-princess, crashes into Kira's backyard,
it seems her wish has come true…kinda…maybe… Oh no. Is Kira's dream of being a
Magical Girl really possible...or is Catacorn not really what she promises to
be?</span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><b><u>Follower News</u></b></span></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Before I get to my interview with Megan, I have Follower News to share. Follower Elizabeth James has</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise22K7yGGbcL6c9LZhgExYVWUOci6ZT0HKZpZpX4_Y6lq2b8kgxnRYTbfBfejvloomAXXwz_EzLxMrMc1ST-DIn_48pib0Pb9BfrhxX4tfbvfKgtD5laOXk02Vk_j-onuHB3iM5iqayPby_YsCmRqjhCRejAefqj-gP2C-zAjrVnD8EB5e-nFkdjZF6U/s900/Pippa%20Speaks%20Up%20-%20book%20cover%20-%20lo%20res.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise22K7yGGbcL6c9LZhgExYVWUOci6ZT0HKZpZpX4_Y6lq2b8kgxnRYTbfBfejvloomAXXwz_EzLxMrMc1ST-DIn_48pib0Pb9BfrhxX4tfbvfKgtD5laOXk02Vk_j-onuHB3iM5iqayPby_YsCmRqjhCRejAefqj-gP2C-zAjrVnD8EB5e-nFkdjZF6U/w133-h200/Pippa%20Speaks%20Up%20-%20book%20cover%20-%20lo%20res.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">a new chapter book release, Pippa Speaks Up. Here's a blurb: </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">All Pippa wants to do is blend in at her new school—which
isn’t easy when your mom’s new job is President of the United States! </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">But when her teacher assigns class speeches, Pippa's
best-laid plans at blending in begin to crumble and she literally becomes sick
to her stomach. She must learn to calm her anxieties and embrace the power of
speaking up—before she not only flops the assignment but also buries her true
feelings from everyone closest to her, including the President herself.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">And here are a few links: </span></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/VxEelHTfimM?si=A3r2YD7aG0H65xZm">https://youtu.be/VxEelHTfimM?si=A3r2YD7aG0H65xZm</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/3947506995275810466" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.elizabethjameswrites.com/pippa-speaks-up/</span></a></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><u>Interview With Megan Brennan</u></span></b></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Hi Megan! Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> Te</span></b> <b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">ll us about yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
always loved writing and drawing, and spent a while as a teen trying make some
kind of epic fantasy story, but never really got past the daydreaming stage! I
ended up going to school at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and majoring in
cartooning, because I knew I wanted to make comics (and luckily had parents who
supported me in that). Getting to be in an environment that nurtured young
creatives while also pushing them to improve was really helpful for me, because
I lacked a lot of confidence in sharing the things I wanted to make.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After graduation I made my own comics while
trying to freelance – doing art assistant work and collaborating with people
occasionally. Eventually, after posting my own comics online and doing some
smaller jobs, I got a gig writing scripts for Boom! Studio’s Amazing World of
Gumball graphic novels. Having to come up with ideas and write whole graphic
novel scripts for a property I didn’t create was weirdly great for my growth as
a writer! There was an existing framework of characters and world, so I had to focus
only on making the plot make sense and feel engaging within that. I learned a
lot about the process itself.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2.
That’s great that your job helped you with your own writing. Where did you get
the idea for </span></b><span class="Link"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kira and the (Maybe)
Space Princess?</span></b></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Link"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
funny, I originally drew Kira and Catacorn in a 3 page tiny submission to a
comic anthology focused on nostalgic shoujo comics (shoujo comics = </span></span><span class="Link"><span lang="NL" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Japanese</span></span><span class="Link"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> comics aimed at young girls, the genre which magical girl
stories like Sailor Moon, a huge inspiration for me and for the Kira books)
called Hana Doki Kira. I had so much fun coming up with scenarios related to
magical girl tropes! After I finished that little comic, I kept coming up with
what might happen next. I ended up expanding to three short Magic Girls comics
that I self-published over a few years.</span></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back
in 2019 I was trying to pitch a completely different graphic novel that didn’t
work out, with a pitch for Magic Girls as a graphic novel as kind of a backup
plan. Of course, I ended up struggling with my other pitch, but Magic Girls was
more fun and ended up being what Random House Graphic wanted anyway! I feel
lucky that the comic I have fun making is the one that seems to also connect
with people.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Writing Process</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">3.
What is your plotting process like? Do you think this is different than for
writers who are only writing the text and not illustrating the story too?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
some ways it’s different for sure, but I think the need to find some kind of
structure under the creativity on is the same. Especially since I have to keep
in mind that I need to make the drawing and planning process understandable to
my editor, so she can see what’s going on.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
usually have to use my sketchbook to think about what </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">should</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> happen, and
what kinds of visuals I want to include, but to make it all cohesive I have to
make an outline. I think because my previous work in making a graphic novel was
focused on the script, I am a little more intense about that stage of the book
than some other comic artists. I have to write myself a really detailed outline
to get my ideas in order. Some of this is because as I go into the thumbnail
stage (rough sketched plans of all the pages) I end up tweaking things. Once
you’re working visually, things sometimes come together differently than you
planned! So I have to really know what I was intending to happen in each part
of the book. But that kind of thing is what’s so magical about writing and
drawing the comic myself.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
also have to step back and think a lot about how the reader will view each page
objectively, if it makes sense from panel to panel, and if the way the page is
set up will lead to reading things in the correct order. I guess a novelist
wouldn’t have to think about that on each page!</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">4.
It’s so interesting to learn about your plotting process and what you have to
think about creating the graphics too. Writing a graphic novel that is a
satisfying middle grade story sounds challenging because you’re telling it
through a combination of illustrations and words. What are some of your tips
for getting the balance right and telling a complete story?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DERfY_QJ7md0cqh0CmvbrUCV87H-U_mtzLjBDb3pAzk94lZcTp330_0UL-naGkWB-B8WO4VqMxvWcX2u51NnszVrRhLq3KlsMiKv-npnBdOg3MdarHkTU8xmYUCs4zbuUEGEBTfnoOQjdxm0XdS_UC25SFKc3lwsC4NZ3KOoUccYY9x1AGm3-EroGxk/s400/Magic%20Girls.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DERfY_QJ7md0cqh0CmvbrUCV87H-U_mtzLjBDb3pAzk94lZcTp330_0UL-naGkWB-B8WO4VqMxvWcX2u51NnszVrRhLq3KlsMiKv-npnBdOg3MdarHkTU8xmYUCs4zbuUEGEBTfnoOQjdxm0XdS_UC25SFKc3lwsC4NZ3KOoUccYY9x1AGm3-EroGxk/s320/Magic%20Girls.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I
think you have to take advantage of each half of the medium - the potential for
really funny or cool images, and the power of dialogue (or narration, though I
don’t use this as often), and really embrace them. You don’t want to crowd up a
page with a ton of text when an image could communicate the mood or action in a
more effective way. The art is also part of telling the story, so while it’s
more work, it also means I have another tool in my arsenal.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">5.
Share about how Kira developed as a character and three things you really like
about her.</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Honestly,
the first version of Kira was really just a parody character! She was kind of a
generic teenager, who just loved snacks and wanted to look cute. Which is
definitely relatable, but I hadn’t given much thought to her as a whole
character. The old version of the comic was all jokes. As I tried to expand it
into a graphic novel, I ended up having to think of her as a person, what kind
of kid she would be.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
like that she is really determined, and even though she is SO easily
embarrassed, she still is pretty sure of who she is and what she wants. I like
that she is also is really open to trying things, even if she might complain a
little about it.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Your
Road to Publication</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">6.
Linda Camacho is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your
road to getting a publishing contract like?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graphic
novels usually require a kind of proof of concept packet/etc to communicate
what the book will be, instead of an entire manuscript. Obviously it’ll vary
with each publisher, but that seems pretty standard, in my experience. was
really lucky, in that I had a version of my pitch in talks with Random House
Graphic before talking to Linda! I already knew Whitney Leopard from comics
shows and from working with her at Boom!, so we were in an ongoing conversation
about pitching things. She wound up being interested in the Kira books! But I
had to go on a panicked search for an agent to negotiate for me.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
had previously been trying to find an agent and didn’t hear back from anyone at
the time. One of the agents I queried actually was Linda, but it was with a
totally different comic pitch, that worked less well. Thankfully Linda was able
to take me on when I emailed her that I had an offer and needed help with
negotiating specifically, which I am so grateful for! I was interested in
working with her because I knew a few of the other graphic novelists she works
with, and I thought my work would fit on the same shelf, if that makes sense.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">7.
It’s cool that you had a connection with your publisher through your job. How
long did Linda and you work on revising your manuscript before you went on
submission? What are your tips on working with an agent on revisions?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Honestly
I’m an anomaly and mostly skipped this stage of the process with this project!
I’m interested myself in how it will work in the future. Linda has been great
at helping me navigate all other complicated parts of the process and being a
cheerleader.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
revision conversations are with my editor. I’m pretty open to making changes to
my work, so I think trying to weigh what are necessary changes vs things that
might cloud the vision I have for the story is the thing I keep trying to keep
in mind. I want all the changes I make to make the overall story more clear and
cohesive.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Promoting
Your Book</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">8.
How are you planning to promote your book after it is released? What advice do
you have for other authors who have an upcoming release on marketing their
book?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
planning on attending some comic festivals with my book, which will be an
exciting way to meet readers and potentially get new readers who are seeing it
for the first time! I’m on social media, and will be using that to talk about
the book, but getting to see people in person and feel the enthusiasm for
comics hits different.</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">9.
What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
currently midway into the follow up to Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess. I’m
finally at the stage where I’m working on the final version of the line art (we
call it inking), so the book is starting to feel real to me!</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks
for sharing all your advice, Megan. You can find Megan at </span><a href="http://www.megan-brennan.com/"><span class="Link"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.Megan-Brennan.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or on Bluesky under the username @MeganBrennan</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Megan’s publisher is generously offering an
ARC of </span><span class="Link"><u><span style="text-decoration-line: none;">Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></u></span><span lang="EN-CA"> f</span>or a giveaway. <span lang="EN-CA">To enter, all you need
to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or
bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 9th. <b>If
your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to
enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you mention this contest on Twitter,
Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Megan on her social media
sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each.
You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This ARC giveaway is U.S.</p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge.
You can find the participating blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Upcoming
Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</span></u></b><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Friday, March 1st I’m participating in the Lady Luck
Giveaway Hop</span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday, March 6th I have an interview with author
Rajani LaRocca and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Sona and The Golden Beasts and
my IWSG post</span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monday, March 11th I have an agent spotlight interview
with Rebecca Lawrence and a query critique giveaway</span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday, March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing
Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black;">Monday, March 18th I have an interview with debut
author </span><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anne Rellihan and a giveaway of her MG
contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none; color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday, March 20th I have an agent spotlight
interview with <span style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti
Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></span><span style="border: none; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope to see you on Friday!</span><span style="border: none; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-51456161285757687532024-02-16T09:00:00.019-05:002024-02-16T09:00:00.146-05:00Wish Big Giveaway Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Fc8FmQg-4hWSr3ikRom1gHVjK0iOSU2CnRBSkf6RWjA7Ds7B09enJRaqS982v5O-Rt3-qwVxjIOn6kgnk-heA5HzaD3feK7khSBdj9O0w0xbgzTbwB7GFrPaNIBE63tS2LjVLC2o18y2pTjTy1nMAB1TWIrjZX7zucd2J7FqmpViYPNYE3U0ODm1qs/s300/February%20Wish%20Big.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14Fc8FmQg-4hWSr3ikRom1gHVjK0iOSU2CnRBSkf6RWjA7Ds7B09enJRaqS982v5O-Rt3-qwVxjIOn6kgnk-heA5HzaD3feK7khSBdj9O0w0xbgzTbwB7GFrPaNIBE63tS2LjVLC2o18y2pTjTy1nMAB1TWIrjZX7zucd2J7FqmpViYPNYE3U0ODm1qs/s1600/February%20Wish%20Big.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Friday
Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop hosted by <u><a href="https://mamathefox.com/"><span color="windowtext">MamatheFox</span></a></u>. I hope that winter is
winding down wherever you live. I'm grateful that it's a milder end of January
and February here in Michigan. It can get brutally cold here. It's been in the 40's, which feels really warm after 10 and below temperatures. And I'm really
grateful I have a writing job that I can do from home now. I don't really mind
the winter too much. I use it as a time to work on my novel and read more. What
about you?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift
Card</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am offering a book of your choice
that is $20 or less on Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books
everyone is looking forward to reading. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you don’t have a book you want, you
can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a
follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right
sidebar) and leave a comment by February 29th telling me whether you want a
book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon gift card and your email
address. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Be sure to include your email address</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts,
and Blog Hops</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February
26th I have an interview with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her
MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday, March
1st I’m participating in the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, March
6th I have an interview with author Rajani LaRocca and a giveaway of her MG
fantasy Sona and The Golden Beasts and my IWSG post</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, March 11th
I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Lawrence and a query critique
giveaway</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, March
16th I’m participating in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Monday, March 18th I have an interview with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anne Rellihan and a giveaway of her MG contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
hope to see you on Monday, February 26th!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p>
<!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=830480&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
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<!-- end InLinkz script --> <p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-66129351908064816892024-02-12T06:00:00.020-05:002024-02-12T06:00:00.150-05:00How to Choose a Blog Tour Company by Author Sherry Ellis and Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones & $50 Amazon Gift Card Blog Tour Giveaway<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDis1d_sRBZVVoyfuxVFl_mKXUFkMzLleNhrPIxgPgX04VtmOzMh4_yE1KrFvzMm4LutRdLMIFDxJXsfhkDgy80A1CqZPRN1qiywzL4k9S3eT5rryu_dhhKFzmOaHi_jo1-JHrgX26cF-wJw0p3IhymLlOWEmxfzUEirrcfDXl7sStTu9HFdK0ajJ8sOE/s1200/Ciity%20of%20Bones%20Tour%20Header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDis1d_sRBZVVoyfuxVFl_mKXUFkMzLleNhrPIxgPgX04VtmOzMh4_yE1KrFvzMm4LutRdLMIFDxJXsfhkDgy80A1CqZPRN1qiywzL4k9S3eT5rryu_dhhKFzmOaHi_jo1-JHrgX26cF-wJw0p3IhymLlOWEmxfzUEirrcfDXl7sStTu9HFdK0ajJ8sOE/s320/Ciity%20of%20Bones%20Tour%20Header.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy
Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in Sherry Ellis’ blog tour
hosted by The Children’s Book Review to celebrate the release of her MG Bubba
and Squirt’s City of Bones. I’m a fan of this series and a blogger friend of
Sherry’s and am excited to participate in this blog tour. I have a fantastic
sponsored guest post by Sherry to share with you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s
a blurb of Squirt’s City of Bones:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIb2UXZANwB5MeZ3IlNHnAHib56y0tD9g32JNQh9qOG1EUWG6n8wt2ej8M7uHiE4ESdSf8usUvmanI538vbvTBymjU-mh5JVx-4Uvl24kTnmwRh6HSK8mNy_evpEt9Dl7Aoptfdii1VzolszRIUwZEY6UYTa2w_xXqNZGaHDhHEvvJJGGYg49j3QF9dUg/s1000/Sherry%20Ellis%20author%20picture.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIb2UXZANwB5MeZ3IlNHnAHib56y0tD9g32JNQh9qOG1EUWG6n8wt2ej8M7uHiE4ESdSf8usUvmanI538vbvTBymjU-mh5JVx-4Uvl24kTnmwRh6HSK8mNy_evpEt9Dl7Aoptfdii1VzolszRIUwZEY6UYTa2w_xXqNZGaHDhHEvvJJGGYg49j3QF9dUg/s320/Sherry%20Ellis%20author%20picture.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;">Bubba and
Squirt are back for another rousing quest as they travel through the mysterious
vortex to Paris, France. It’s another wild adventure as they track down art
thieves, encounter terrifying monsters, and discover the whereabouts of their
missing father.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #333333;">Will they make it out alive or join the rest of the
skeletons in the City of Bones?</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #500050;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</span>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #333333;">Coming
Soon: The fourth book in the series, </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Bubba
and Squirt’s Shield of Athena</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,
will be released on May 7, 2024, and the final book, </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Bubba and Squirt’s Legend of the Lost Pearl</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, will be released in September 2024.</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><u style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Deciding on a Blog
Tour Company by Sherry Ellis</u></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
been writing books for nearly twenty years. One of the things I’ve learned
along the way is that blog tours coinciding with the release of a book are
beneficial in getting the word out and generating sales.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is a Blog Tour?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
when you take your book on a virtual tour hosted on various book blogs across
the internet. Book</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV4fwZZH7sHTjlb8OF_Hf8Yl3c2KyqKIlqIgYAKwNG0FQ4MgutKfIR8Q_FRLXozJp4qb2wqrk8ctHLCu69W1IBNDljp8-AQf6thoaXZTUhB6OI4H8BCZKY2_sut2iHEfuFg25yTA2ZIBpbd-JSIsZHS-dzGnFCd_RNs_DM1m8zPJFvYnjP_Sia7CGpQg/s900/Bubba%20and%20Squirts%20City%20of%20Bones%20cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV4fwZZH7sHTjlb8OF_Hf8Yl3c2KyqKIlqIgYAKwNG0FQ4MgutKfIR8Q_FRLXozJp4qb2wqrk8ctHLCu69W1IBNDljp8-AQf6thoaXZTUhB6OI4H8BCZKY2_sut2iHEfuFg25yTA2ZIBpbd-JSIsZHS-dzGnFCd_RNs_DM1m8zPJFvYnjP_Sia7CGpQg/s320/Bubba%20and%20Squirts%20City%20of%20Bones%20cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /> blogs are ones dedicated to posting articles about books and
anything to do with the writing process.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">These
tours allow a book to gain more exposure to potential readers. Basically, they
create an awareness of your book to hundreds of people without you ever having
to leave home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
to Choose </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">See
if the company has done tours for other books in your genre. If so, it may be a
good match.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Look
at the number of followers the host has. It’s a numbers game. More
followers=more people who will learn about your book.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">See
if the host has a presence on other social media platforms. These will
translate into additional opportunities to share the news about your books.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Look
at previous tours and see the types of bloggers who participate. See if they’re
a good mix of reviewers, interviewers, and article-posters.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider
your budget. Tours can be expensive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See
if the company offers options that fit your budget. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Find
out if the company has the length of tour you desire. Some are month-long.
Others, only a week. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
you finally reach out to the company to schedule a tour, see how organized and
responsive the contact person is. That’s usually a good indicator of how easy
it will be to work with the person and have the tour go smoothly.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
am currently using </span><a href="https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/media-kit/kids-book-tours-online-blog-tours/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Children’s Book Review Virtual Awareness Tour</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s dedicated
exclusively to promoting children’s books.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have also used </span><a href="https://mcbooktours.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">MC Book Tours</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Book
tours are a fun part of the marketing experience. I highly recommend trying one
if you have a book release.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">PURCHASE LINK</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TZnrfE" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Cambria",serif;">Amazon</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bubba-and-squirts-city-of-bones-sherry-ellis/1143368630?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&ean=9781939844989&st=AFF&SID=www.barnesandnoble.com&2sid=The+Children%27s+Book+Review_9085367_NA&sourceId=AFFThe+Children%27s+Book+Review&cjevent=115548a9b16411ee836200400a1cb825&dpid=tekz25v83" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Cambria",serif;">Barnes
and Noble</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9781939844989" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Cambria",serif;">Bookshop.org</span></a><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sherry Ellis is an award-winning author and professional
musician who plays and teaches the violin, viola, and piano. When she is not
writing or engaged in musical activities, she can be found doing household
chores, hiking, or exploring the world. Ellis has previously published <i>Bubba
and Squirt’s Big Dig to China</i>; <i>Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure</i>;</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/dont-feed-the-elephant-by-sherry-ellis-dedicated-review/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif;"> </span><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Cambria",serif;">Don’t Feed the Elephant</span></i></a></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">; <i>Ten Zany Birds</i>; <i>That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN</i>;
and <i>That Mama is a Grouch</i>. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">For
more information about her work, she invites you to visit her website at</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #500050; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.sherryellis.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Cambria",serif;">www.sherryellis.org</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #500050; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span><o:p style="font-size: 12pt;"></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Enter the giveaway for the
chance to win an autographed copy of </span><i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</span></i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and a $50 Amazon gift card!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><a class="e-widget no-button generic-loader" href="https://gleam.io/SqDwK/bubba-and-squirts-city-of-bones-book-giveaway" rel="nofollow">
Bubba and Squirt's City of Bones: Book Giveaway
</a>
<script async="true" src="https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Blog Tour Schedule</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; text-align: left;"> </span></div><div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tuesday,
January 16, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Children’s Book Review</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Tour Kick-Off</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Wednesday,
January 17, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://icefairystreasurechest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">icefairy’s Treasure Chest</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Thursday,
January 18, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://themommaspot.home.blog/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Momma Spot</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Friday,
January 19, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Life Is What It’s Called</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Author
Interview with Sherry Ellis</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Monday,
January 22, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.craftymomsshare.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Crafty Moms Share</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tuesday,
January 23, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://insatiablereaders.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">An
article by Sherry Ellis</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Wednesday,
January 24, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://bamauthor.me/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Barbara
Ann Mojica</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Thursday,
January 24, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ablueboxfullofbooks/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">A Blue Box Full of Books</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i> and Little Free Library
Drop</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Friday,
January 25, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://onemoreexclamation.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">One More Exclamation</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Monday,
February 5, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://fveslibrary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Fairview Review</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tuesday,
February 6, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://countrymamaswithkids.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Country Mamas with Kids</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Review of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 55pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td style="height: 55pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Wednesday,
February 7, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://twirlingbookprincess.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Twirling Book Princess</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Book
Spotlight of <i>Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Thursday,
February 8, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://myreadinggetaway.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">My Reading Getaway</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Author
Interview with Sherry Ellis</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Friday,
February 9, 2024</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://coverloverbookreview.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Cover Lover Book Review</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Author
Interview with Sherry Ellis</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts,
and Blog Hops</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February
26th I have an interview with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her
MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday, March 1st
I’m participating in the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, March 6th
I have an interview with author Rajani LaRocca and a giveaway of her MG fantasy
Sona and The Golden Beasts and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, March 11th
I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Lawrence and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, March 16th
I’m participating in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Monday, March 18th I have an interview with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anne Rellihan and a giveaway of her MG contemporary/mystery Not the Worst Friend in the World</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, March 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique giveaway</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
hope to see you on Wednesday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /></div>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-38580381260149958392024-02-07T05:00:00.022-05:002024-02-07T05:00:00.140-05:00Debut Author Interview: Marc J Gregson and Sky’s End Giveaway and IWSG Post<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m
excited to have instant </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">New York Times</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> bestseller Marc J Gregson here to
share about his debut YA fantasy/dystopian </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Dystopian and
fantasy stories are favorites of mine, and this one sounds like a page-turner.
I’m looking forward to reading it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s a blurb from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60770260-sky-s-end?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=m5pA5EimzP&rank=1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUEmDiJNlP73IzLnyyEG-C69WrxUTwz6NNOoZ9fx8l_uN6eN7oze79E-ya2YLwIQQRtI4uBl-MRdGzXSjwwcJZunTgOkqRZpROx8kGBEPCHq2IRoGerztJ6xqA2yXGbX0L06vdV5IoPT41lmKMwGFVENHvleHTKFaK6bo4rIeQ_RU5mWCrWnXoZgs6Xw/s3075/Marc%20J%20Gregson%20--%20Updated%20Photo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3075" data-original-width="2062" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUEmDiJNlP73IzLnyyEG-C69WrxUTwz6NNOoZ9fx8l_uN6eN7oze79E-ya2YLwIQQRtI4uBl-MRdGzXSjwwcJZunTgOkqRZpROx8kGBEPCHq2IRoGerztJ6xqA2yXGbX0L06vdV5IoPT41lmKMwGFVENHvleHTKFaK6bo4rIeQ_RU5mWCrWnXoZgs6Xw/s320/Marc%20J%20Gregson%20--%20Updated%20Photo.jpg" width="215" /></a></b></div><span class="a-text-bold"><b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">AN INSTANT <i>NEW
YORK TIMES</i> BESTSELLER</span></b></span><b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span class="a-text-bold">Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a
scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must claw his way to the top in this
thrilling YA fantasy debut</span></span></b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
Exiled to live as a Low, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his
murderous uncle. But Meritocracy is a harsh and unforgiving rule on the
floating island of Holmstead, and when his ailing mother is killed by monstrous
gorgantauns, Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue
his sister from his uncle's clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the
Twelve Trades.<br />
<br />
Hunter, the deadliest of all the Trades, gains a fresh recruit with Conrad. Now
he must endure vigorous training, manipulative peers, and the Gauntlet—a brutal
final test that yields riches and status to whichever skyship crew kills the
most gorgantauns. Forced to serve in the lowest of stations and unseen by all,
Conrad overhears whispers of rebellion in the dark. Conrad had never known
anything existed below the toxic black clouds of the Skylands . . . until now.<br />
<br />
<b>Grab your copy of Book One of the Above the Black trilogy today! This
fast-paced series is reminiscent of <span class="a-text-italic"><i>Attack on
Titan</i></span> and will appeal to fans of Pierce Brown. It's a great
pick for those who love action-adventure.<o:p></o:p></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpdEvXJMl6J2LMu-Qyf_Z4xrHKek8pQ0s0UKd0CYQzFjkB88Iwd09c0HyuZpm9l0l4qIPG6ZU8-dISIJlLq_MkL8v5fOs1VEhmaJ5W-RhXeG6oYy5Idy24TXXQdk95oktqYy5cjBvUm-gWsXn7Gy5EbiygNtigrq6Nw-HkoRiY_dbBjC7Yv4TQHZYekA/s200/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="200" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpdEvXJMl6J2LMu-Qyf_Z4xrHKek8pQ0s0UKd0CYQzFjkB88Iwd09c0HyuZpm9l0l4qIPG6ZU8-dISIJlLq_MkL8v5fOs1VEhmaJ5W-RhXeG6oYy5Idy24TXXQdk95oktqYy5cjBvUm-gWsXn7Gy5EbiygNtigrq6Nw-HkoRiY_dbBjC7Yv4TQHZYekA/s1600/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before I get to Marc’s interview post, I have my
IWSG post.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Posting: The first
Wednesday is officially </span><a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insecure Writer's Support Group </span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns
without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire
can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of
all kinds!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The awesome co-hosts this month
are: </span><a href="https://janetalcorn.com/" target="_blank"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;">Janet Alcorn,</span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;"> </span></b><a href="https://sewhitebooks.com/" target="_blank"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;">SE
White,</span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;"> </span></b><a href="https://www.victoriamarielees.com/" target="_blank"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;">Victoria Marie Lees,</span></b></a><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;"> </span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">and</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;"> </span></b><a href="http://cathrinaconstantine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; mso-themecolor: accent5;">Cathrina Constantine!</span></b></a><span style="background: white; color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent5;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Optional
Question: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A
drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of
books?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I look at a lot of author websites when
trying to decide which authors to feature at Literary Rambles. The thing that
annoys me the most is when the author doesn’t have any way to contact them on
the website other than contacting their agent or publisher or contacting them
on social media. I don’t contact those authors. I think they should include an
email address or a contact form so that bloggers, podcast hosts, and readers
can contact them. You’d be surprised at how many authors don’t include this
essential information on their website.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another annoying thing is how hard Google Blogger has made it to comment on blogs, including mine, that use this platform to blog. I've had to switch to the pop-up windows option to make it easier for followers to comment. At least I don't get any emails from followers unable to leave comments on my blog. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But it's annoying when other bloggers on Blogger don't use the pop-up window option because I can't leave a comment using Chrome, which is the browser I use. I have to copy the link to the post into Mozilla to leave a comment. It makes the whole process take more time, but at least I can comment. I'm grateful to Alex for suggesting this solution.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Interview With Marc Gregson</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Marc!
Thanks so much for joining us. And a huge congrats on becoming an instant <i>New
York Times</i> bestselling author.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Tell us
about yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I was
a teenager, I was given a Halloween writing assignment. It was only supposed to
be 2-3 pages long. I wrote a dozen pages about a killer squirrel. As I was
writing, I felt a strange twist of excitement in my gut every time I sat down,
and I realized just how much I enjoyed it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. That
sounds like a scary story. Where did you get the idea for Sky’s End?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve always
wanted to write a story about a world set in the sky, and I love deadly
competitions. After I read books like </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hunger Games </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Red Rising</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
I really wanted to do my own unique spin on it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Writing Process</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. You’re a
teacher and also have a family. What is your writing schedule, and how long did
it take you to complete Sky’s End before you began querying agents? Will the
process change with book 2 and 3 where you have publishing deadlines to meet?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, I must
be very regimented with my schedule, or I’ll never get it all done! I wake up
early to write for an hour before work. Then, I go to work early so that when I
return home in the evening, I don’t have to bring class work with me. This
allows me to generally get 2-3 hours of writing in per day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
original draft I sent to literary agents took me about seven to eight months to
write. But I ended up doing massive revisions with my agent after I signed with
her. My writing process for books 2 and 3 are the same as before I was
published, just more condensed. This means I must be even more careful with my
time and I’m often writing on the weekends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. It’s
great that you’re so disciplined. Your book sounds like a real page-turner. How
did you keep the tension and stakes rising throughout the story?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BDXKcIvbqWTUSOuYC12JqTEOnRl-zWmkOY4f-uo78DRRvNSCr_qW0len8Juoe2UuSg-e_fi9L9ZAYBEpcNjp5I9NDXJaaE1Se2jc1xdnuuut6gCv5YxZOI5QKHw-ScEtpnk83oruCOtJDktYJuDf5LfZjmKeQhQ5dSWYTtSapHVU0u1SFvuDCi6STKA/s1688/Sky's%20End.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BDXKcIvbqWTUSOuYC12JqTEOnRl-zWmkOY4f-uo78DRRvNSCr_qW0len8Juoe2UuSg-e_fi9L9ZAYBEpcNjp5I9NDXJaaE1Se2jc1xdnuuut6gCv5YxZOI5QKHw-ScEtpnk83oruCOtJDktYJuDf5LfZjmKeQhQ5dSWYTtSapHVU0u1SFvuDCi6STKA/s320/Sky's%20End.png" width="209" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
constantly asked myself, “and then what happens?” Something had to always be
happening in the story. In </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, all the characters have their own
goals and motivations, and in many instances, their goals run in opposition to
those of their peers. This creates a lot of friction and tension on the ship.
While characters are trying to achieve their own goals and rise on the ship to become
Captain, the entire crew simultaneously must deal with the threat of the giant
sky serpents that they were sent to hunt.</span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. I really
like that you’ve combined elements of a dystopian and fantasy world into your
story. Describe your world-building process, and share tips on how to create a
unique world like you did.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I sort of
reverse engineer the process. I start with a goal in mind, but how it gets
there is quite hazy and unclear. My only choice is to just explore it the best
that I can. As I was creating the Skylands, I had this idea of a true
Meritocracy where the strong would rise and the weak would fall. Furthermore, I
liked the idea of developing this Meritocracy around a dueling system. If you
were a great dueler, you had a chance to rise to a High status. But as I
explored this idea, I ran into a problem. What about those who can’t duel? And
can a society adequately run if the only people in power are also just
physically impressive? What about the highly intelligent?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s
where the Selection of the Twelve Trades came in. It fills in the gaps—and
provides opportunities to some whose primary asset is their brain. That being
said, there are plenty of people who are Selected by Trades who are also
capable duelers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
suggestion about worldbuilding is to constantly ask questions of your world.
Why does each aspect of the world exist? Sometimes, it can simply be because,
“Well, it’s cool.” But I’ve found that for deep worldbuilding, there must also
be some logic behind it as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Journey to Publication</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. That’s
great world building advice. Your agent is Heather Cashman. How did she become
your agent, and what was your road to publication like?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Getting an
agent was the biggest challenge. I queried </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on and off for
several years. At one point, I had about a dozen agents that seemed really
interested in </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I thought it was going to happen. Then,
one-by-one, the passes rolled in. Around this time, I became a teacher, so I
wasn’t quite as active in the querying trenches—and I started on another book project.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finally,
three years after I started querying </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, Heather sent me an email
at midnight asking to setup a time to chat. She was interested in </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
and my other project. But she told me that Sky’s End would need some work. She
told me that I needed to bring </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> up to my current writing
ability. So, after I signed with her, I revised </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and rewrote
the beginning and ending. I changed the whole thing from past tense to present
tense. We sent it out, and </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> sold to Peachtree Teen in the first
round of submission.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. Share
something you learned that made you a better writer from working with your
agent or editor on revising your manuscript.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One thing
that helped me was diversifying my sentence starters. </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is in
first person, so naturally you’re going to have a lot of sentences that start
with the pronoun “I.” Practicing beginning my sentences with other words
constantly keeps me on my toes and forces me to be creative in how I approach
my sentences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another
thing my editor has said is to constantly lay challenge upon my characters.
Never make it easy for them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Promoting
Your Book</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. Your book was released on January 2,
2024. What did you do to celebrate its release, and what are your future plans
to promote your book?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d like to say that it was a week-long
celebration! January 2</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> was an amazing day, but a little
bittersweet, because my winter break from teaching ended the same day my book
released! Ha ha! No, I had a lot of fun. My students and I celebrated “</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s
End</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">’s birthday” at school. When I got home from work, my wife and I visited
the Barnes & Noble stores in my area, and I was able to sign their stock.
Now that was incredibly surreal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Later that week, I had my launch event
with the King’s English Bookshop. My parents flew in for the event, and my
agent even showed up as a surprise. We had a great turnout despite the sudden
snowstorm that began a couple hours before the event. Afterward, a bunch of my
family and I went to a Mexican restaurant and celebrated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then I napped all weekend!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some future plans for promotion include
going to the Tucson Book Festival in March! I’m really excited for that. At
some point, I’m also going to do a Instagram Live session to discuss spoilers
with readers and start amping them up for book two, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Among Serpents</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. That
will likely happen in late Spring or early Summer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. What social media site have you
connected the most with readers, teachers, and librarians? How have you
connected with them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the beginning, TikTok was totally my
social media headquarters. But after my wife posted </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">’s cover
reveal on Instagram and it went viral (5.9 million views), Instagram became my
new place. I’ve had so much engagement on Instagram and met so many amazing
people there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As far as connection, I’m always trying to
be genuine. I am incredibly proud of </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, so I hope my enthusiasm
for the book is rather apparent in my posts. I also love hearing from readers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. I think I need to get on Instagram What
are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I recently sent back my edits for Among </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Serpents</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
the sequel to </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sky’s End</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Currently, I’m hard at work on the trilogy
finale, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Downfall</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I’m so excited about this trilogy and cannot wait for
readers to experience the full thing!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Marc.
You can find Marc at </span><a href="http://www.marcjgregson/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.marcjgregson</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or @mjg_write on
Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marc’s publisher is
generously offering a hardback of Sky’s End f</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">or a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February
17th. <b>If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the
comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Marc
on his social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book
giveaway is U.S.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February 12th I have a guest post
by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a blog-tour giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating in the Wish Big
Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February 26th I have an interview
with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her MG graphic novel Kira and
the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none;">Friday, March 1st I’m participating in the Lady Luck
Giveaway Hop</span><span style="border: none; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none;">Wednesday, March 6th I have an interview with author
Rajani LaRocca and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Sona and The Golden Beasts and
my IWSG post</span><span style="border: none; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><span style="border: none;">Monday, March 11th I have an agent spotlight interview
with Rebecca Lawrence and a query critique giveaway</span><span style="border: none; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to see you on
Monday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-91625049679199443252024-02-01T09:00:00.018-05:002024-02-03T11:59:34.330-05:00Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC0GuY00sMKCATD8KcTB4ew1fOZQ5cUXWG5AWuzLimM6szP6JHkhoEzmoOi7S3gVfZYFS-a6przT30Gq8XZb1UnvCnvSJ17Q2HY03bxM3VLAenNHcqwTN4MYZQ_dOkBRlhT0XTd7gB5vO_sPUTRuZalvzGuSc9mFbK-co_V2JuncW6fAfvrlXKKQoZ6k/s300/February%20Heart%202%20Heart.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC0GuY00sMKCATD8KcTB4ew1fOZQ5cUXWG5AWuzLimM6szP6JHkhoEzmoOi7S3gVfZYFS-a6przT30Gq8XZb1UnvCnvSJ17Q2HY03bxM3VLAenNHcqwTN4MYZQ_dOkBRlhT0XTd7gB5vO_sPUTRuZalvzGuSc9mFbK-co_V2JuncW6fAfvrlXKKQoZ6k/s1600/February%20Heart%202%20Heart.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Thursday Everyone! T</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">oday I'm excited to participate in the Hear 2 Heart Giveaway
Hop hosted by </span><u style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope you all survived the winter storms and frigid winter weather. I'm looking forward to March when it stays lighter longer, and we see hints of spring. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card Giveaway</u></b></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">I’ve got a lot of exciting
newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can
also choose another book in the series by these authors or a book of your choice. You can find
descriptions of these books on </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/1170354533324894441">Goodreads.</a><span style="color: black;"> Here are your choices:</span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcv_VF7t0FUNJgUlTcPvBNcpbPeAYWJVnY_Q4xmnQpXDhpYfdFFJOFTtmmUNTSQg3DQS1GML1UOygl1jghBqk_e_3W4QoolJNsr4-0E7lw7ymnCUW-RrcafUfh15CXuPN8-sdmfjPXxb9909U4BfrHR3OTCTuVVRrPfh6xcAENSsiS_Wz6L1rAhfA4Ie8/s3300/Skater%20Boy%20by%20Anthony%20Nerada_Cover%20(1).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcv_VF7t0FUNJgUlTcPvBNcpbPeAYWJVnY_Q4xmnQpXDhpYfdFFJOFTtmmUNTSQg3DQS1GML1UOygl1jghBqk_e_3W4QoolJNsr4-0E7lw7ymnCUW-RrcafUfh15CXuPN8-sdmfjPXxb9909U4BfrHR3OTCTuVVRrPfh6xcAENSsiS_Wz6L1rAhfA4Ie8/w133-h200/Skater%20Boy%20by%20Anthony%20Nerada_Cover%20(1).jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLXbSnNwwWttAfISMkRzgcDngHxFt737oZH4Q7Vu6On9x-zudhck-HRe-fGbqaPM48Vapi21Us2Djx6fLnki1ZZZGvkN1wDqRxpaaETkDLjzTuIj-LPnilhnqT3yc_2vT12GUE_DZRgkwhDfVRsO0GPZozwTydcBR3E1MMLri8wP1A3xU0HKihOwCRA8/s75/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="49" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLXbSnNwwWttAfISMkRzgcDngHxFt737oZH4Q7Vu6On9x-zudhck-HRe-fGbqaPM48Vapi21Us2Djx6fLnki1ZZZGvkN1wDqRxpaaETkDLjzTuIj-LPnilhnqT3yc_2vT12GUE_DZRgkwhDfVRsO0GPZozwTydcBR3E1MMLri8wP1A3xU0HKihOwCRA8/w131-h200/The%20Bad%20Ones.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbeI7TIh9nE6J4jgyo0WKSu-9bDGIVwfc0aWZaCFsox9m0_fX7fWKFIMeafkMOcuebYbiqao0aYHxJIZGvDda4fyaUy_Y68SkRo1glQj2xM15rc4u_4R3_NEhzZVseMKKzQYTMJRlf9WM7QcueX_0mmjn5-FMPhFvjcezacWHd9tyL4U25Umsui2O7_Q/s75/These%20deadly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="50" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbeI7TIh9nE6J4jgyo0WKSu-9bDGIVwfc0aWZaCFsox9m0_fX7fWKFIMeafkMOcuebYbiqao0aYHxJIZGvDda4fyaUy_Y68SkRo1glQj2xM15rc4u_4R3_NEhzZVseMKKzQYTMJRlf9WM7QcueX_0mmjn5-FMPhFvjcezacWHd9tyL4U25Umsui2O7_Q/w133-h200/These%20deadly.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c4no0XRRvzlOFQmQV9R4JrqgO3PzVr0rGx4UxZAsnepQK0uCn3pNcqCeD68RQPc9agF-Z0wxxA4ajrr8HlRSMAgNDO17MzLbzqtVr-EU0OK7NTqz8MH2j34hk4-HsZO4zF8SEMo4nbhJLOK-pU4qnK7oN4r7V2J1oRZVCo5VtAnw5q5sTXJdyDTa4pU/s605/dead-things-are-closer-than-they-appear.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c4no0XRRvzlOFQmQV9R4JrqgO3PzVr0rGx4UxZAsnepQK0uCn3pNcqCeD68RQPc9agF-Z0wxxA4ajrr8HlRSMAgNDO17MzLbzqtVr-EU0OK7NTqz8MH2j34hk4-HsZO4zF8SEMo4nbhJLOK-pU4qnK7oN4r7V2J1oRZVCo5VtAnw5q5sTXJdyDTa4pU/w133-h200/dead-things-are-closer-than-they-appear.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoY9M-BOw8RRjNopaoys1JZCvE2AC0FgOQj4ZM-kJxKXUDUVIxnzEiA5POlr5cjkOW0qs9M7eFkVaV03Qh94_Yt_G_yfs0AjcDp9aBc-bOenoFVlcy5JGvprDAKwJXSSQDCDwW6iaOSxR1mGED138FNigtkvGEReywmX3vLWSaA7RvThp0xkFD4JpKcQ/s75/Heartless%20Hunter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rvxtX-uatuxSXHO90sz_PhEPRz4HTv5RSWDK4V-Mi4fcczK6DeXSKKex7bBA0ydotHzoLWYWHp3k3dNuwV7PaHq-kraf7ev8IlEH4DxfOISNPQPapBdiSf8Nxf_dmHNOWBqPjYbusBF4TugdZFeYthOh8144LILcii579mW-AD-5bwAXYONskTki2VM/s80/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="80" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rvxtX-uatuxSXHO90sz_PhEPRz4HTv5RSWDK4V-Mi4fcczK6DeXSKKex7bBA0ydotHzoLWYWHp3k3dNuwV7PaHq-kraf7ev8IlEH4DxfOISNPQPapBdiSf8Nxf_dmHNOWBqPjYbusBF4TugdZFeYthOh8144LILcii579mW-AD-5bwAXYONskTki2VM/w200-h150/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.</span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Be sure to include your email address</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest
Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Wednesday, February 7th I have an
interview with debut author Marc Gregson and a giveaway of his YA dystopian
Sky’s End</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Monday, February 12th I have a
guest post by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a blog-tour
giveaway</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Monday, February 26th I have an interview
with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her MG graphic novel Kira and
the (Maybe) Space Princess</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">I
hope to see you on Wednesday!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;">
<!--start InLinkz script-->
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<!--end InLinkz script--></p><p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-72889644454961814572024-01-31T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-02T16:56:59.753-05:00 Literary Agent Interview: Laura Gruszka Interview and Query Critique Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I’m thrilled to have agent Laura Gruszka here. She is a junior
agent at </span><a href="https://www.writershouse.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Writers
House</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Hi
Laura! Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About
Laura:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmjy1XtX45SvvDKQvpzMqOqYcRiSL3i-Bb283GuXK4veHALyqC6bTWFOE-5ZK_uX6eqqSSXEnXUgqky-ygFQhK8E5W4ntONS1m2wFoeEDIza2KGosSfnI3LyXLJp-axz-hCTHQG2vFc1JaKPHmaCgIRQjxbukrCltMoYY4ARHdeRL8s3-4N_Yy2u0llY/s6000/Gruszka%20headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmjy1XtX45SvvDKQvpzMqOqYcRiSL3i-Bb283GuXK4veHALyqC6bTWFOE-5ZK_uX6eqqSSXEnXUgqky-ygFQhK8E5W4ntONS1m2wFoeEDIza2KGosSfnI3LyXLJp-axz-hCTHQG2vFc1JaKPHmaCgIRQjxbukrCltMoYY4ARHdeRL8s3-4N_Yy2u0llY/s320/Gruszka%20headshot.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I’d always known that I wanted to work in publishing, but, like many
young people, hadn’t heard of any other position besides editor. After
interning at a few different agencies, it became evident to me that agenting—and
agenting in the children’s space specifically—was where I wanted to stay! Not
only do I get to work editorially with brilliant creators throughout their
careers, but I also have the privilege of telling everyone about just how
talented they are. I started at Writers House assisting senior agent Rebecca
Sherman, and now, I’ve been promoted to junior agent. I’m so excited to be actively
building my client list!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About
the Agency:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">2.
Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Writers House has a long and impressive legacy as an agency representing
writers and illustrators of all genres and styles. Our high standards, experienced
staff, history of success, culture of collaboration, and dedicated contracts
and global licensing departments are all essential elements in building and
sustaining clients’ careers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What
She’s Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">3.
What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do
you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The best place to get a thorough breakdown of my submission
requirements and interests is my Publishers Marketplace profile: </span><a href="https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As of the date of this interview, I’m open to projects for all age
groups, PB through YA (and select adult). I’m looking for fiction in all age
groups and am open to, but more selective in, nonfiction. In picture books, I
look for memorable artwork with a voice and stories with a strong voice. In MG
and YA, prose is very important to me, whether it’s pitch-perfect slice-of-life
or breathtaking new worlds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">4. Is there anything you would be especially excited to see in the
genres you are interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In picture books, I love stories that tune into kid-specific
frequencies—ones that don’t talk down to kids, but rather understand and speak
to their humor, logic, and independence. I’m also a sucker for watercolor and a
consistent, evocative palette.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In MG and YA, I especially appreciate casts of characters with
distinct, memorable personalities who love each other fiercely—the kinds of
characters readers can’t help but make 100-song playlists and moodboards for.
And I love projects that jump headfirst into their uniqueness (or even
weirdness), whether it’s retelling a mythology not ubiquitous to Western pop
culture, upending a genre convention, or building an unforgettably lush, real-feeling
world (magical or not).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m also an avid concertgoer and video game enjoyer (particularly,
though not exclusively, narrative-driven games and RPGs), and I have a special
soft spot for the Midwest/Great Lakes region. I also played percussion,
including concert percussion and drumline in marching band, for many years. If
you’re working on a project that taps into any of these, keep me in mind!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What
She <u>Isn’t</u> Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">5.
What types of submissions are you not interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It might seem self-explanatory, but I’m not looking for submissions
outside of the specified genres on my profile. This includes picture book
text-only submissions and adult nonfiction submissions. In terms of subject
matter, I generally steer away from overly didactic or strictly pedagogical
stories without an overarching narrative, regardless of age range. I’m also
picky about historical fiction—I prefer thoroughly-researched stories about
less-commonly-seen times and places.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not the right person for projects about police, true crime, voluntourism,
fantasy with “evil” races, or horror predicated on mental illness and physical
disability—unless your project is upending genre conventions or commenting
critically on the history of or our cultural relationship with any of these. Relatedly—and
I wish this went without saying—please don’t send me anything promoting racism,
transphobia, homophobia, ableism, fatphobia, misogyny, and anything else of
this nature.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Agent
Philosophy:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">6.
What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to
work with and the books you want to represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Especially in the realm of children’s books, I’m looking to work with
creators whose books will be life-changing for a young reader, whether it’s by
finally seeing an authentic representation of their own experience, learning
about a subject not discussed in their everyday life, or igniting their
lifelong love for reading. I’m committed to uplifting traditionally
underrepresented voices and stories in publishing. I want to help creators
publish the books they wish they’d read when they were younger—and get those in
the hands of today’s young readers. On the technical side, I seek to work with
creators who are open to and intentional about editorial work, yet also don’t
lose sight of their unique voice and ideas.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Editorial
Agent:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">7.
Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re
working with your authors before submitting to editors?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, I definitely am! My goal is to help each creator best achieve
their vision for their project and to lean into their talents. I approach the
editorial process by asking, “What does the writer do well? What needs work—and
how can the writer use their talents to strengthen those parts?” I work with
authors in the format most helpful for them, whether it’s emailing an editorial
letter or hopping on a call to discuss top-line points. We’ll go back and forth
as necessary until we both feel the project is in its best shape to be
submitted to editors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Query
Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">8.
How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Queries should be sent to </span><a href="mailto:gruszkasubmissions@writershouse.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">gruszkasubmissions@writershouse.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Longer works should include the first 10 pages and a detailed
synopsis; picture books should include a dummy and a sample of final artwork or
a link to a portfolio; graphic novels should send a detailed summary, sample
pages/thumbnails of at least one chapter, and a sample of final art or a link
to a portfolio. Again, please read my Publishers Marketplace profile for the
most up-to-date query guidelines.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Query letters that remain focused and accurate are the best! In
general, I like to see a quick pitch of the project, a summary, any other
relevant details about why you wrote it, some current comparative titles, and a
bit about your writing background if applicable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It may be funny to say, but I dislike when query letters don’t follow
submission guidelines. Writers House submission guidelines ask that you only
query one agent at the agency at a time—so if your query is addressed to 10 of
our agents, you’re off on the wrong foot. Check, then-double-check, your
queries: make sure you’re up-to-date on the genres I represent, my submission
guidelines, the email address I receive queries at, and the spelling of my last
name!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In first pages of longer works, I often like to see a day in the life
or a minor conflict faced by our protagonist before the apocalypse begins/they
find out they have magic powers/someone close to them dies/they step through a
portal. I find it harder to connect with characters undergoing huge
life-or-death events if I haven’t gotten to know them first, as flawed or
unlikeable as they may be. This isn’t a strict rule, though, just a general
preference!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Response
Time:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">10.
What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a
manuscript?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Please give me 6 weeks minimum to respond to your query (and a bit
longer if a bank holiday falls within that time frame). I reply to every query
I receive, and that takes time!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Self-Published
and Small Press Authors:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">11. Are you open to representing authors who have
self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have
for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m certainly open to representing authors who have self-published,
but re-publishing self-published books is a complicated matter best addressed
case-by-case. It is always helpful to query with a new work of yours, though!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">12.
With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small
publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">While publishing may be changing, I feel the role of agents remains
the same: commitment to supporting clients’ careers and goals, supplemented by
industry knowledge and experience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Clients:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">13.
Who are some of the authors you represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m very excited to be working with Binnie Kearns, a phenomenal artist
whose work I’ve followed for years: </span><a href="http://www.writershouseart.com/binnie-kearns"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">www.writershouseart.com/binnie-kearns</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Interviews and Guest Posts:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">14. Please share the links to any interviews,
guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in
querying you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">N/A</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Links
and Contact Info:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">15.
Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on
the Web.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As mentioned above, please visit my Publishers Marketplace profile for
up-to-date detailed submission guidelines: </span><a href="https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Additional
Advice</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">16.
Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we
haven’t covered?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s so important to have a creative community to support you and your
artistic journey. Attend a workshop, join a writers’ group, enlist some
critique partners! Not only will your peers help strengthen your submission,
but they’ll also provide valuable community and continued education and growth.
Books are a business, yes, but writing, illustrating, and creating are lifelong
endeavors that are rewarding in themselves. It is my hope that, through it all,
all aspiring authors and illustrators find a way to keep alive the joy of
making art.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Laura.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Laura is generously offering a query critique to one lucky
winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget,
email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through February
10th. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background: white;">If your email is not on
your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the
contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know
in the comments.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you
an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have any experience with this agent? See something that
needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at </span><a href="mailto:natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on
agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything
you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is
subject to change.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming
Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday, February
1st I’m participating in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, February
7th I have an interview with debut author Marc Gregson and a giveaway of his YA
dystopian Sky’s End</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February
12th I have a guest post by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a
blog-tour giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February
26th I have an interview with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her
MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Hope to see you tomorrow!</span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-61888369957090218332024-01-29T06:00:00.050-05:002024-02-02T16:56:39.312-05:00Tips on Surviving the Long Haul—Writing for Life by Author Shutta Crum<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb5CbVIOhqX_rAzoH0gAjwz650DeV6DEwsJFMjiS1t7qnhl1qwktUQiZnBxXtpNd1aThoJVW803ihJPke4pTRnHRC57GP2rS89ggWUzLRncg4u9FdmZ9hX9fe62-Kf2rxMLNmJh3MFk40tP3hzVUQbXmRqSvDV3lXT21h2bui0EPjiBuhaHyBtSYC-I4/s1837/shutta%20smaller%202022.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1837" data-original-width="1141" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb5CbVIOhqX_rAzoH0gAjwz650DeV6DEwsJFMjiS1t7qnhl1qwktUQiZnBxXtpNd1aThoJVW803ihJPke4pTRnHRC57GP2rS89ggWUzLRncg4u9FdmZ9hX9fe62-Kf2rxMLNmJh3MFk40tP3hzVUQbXmRqSvDV3lXT21h2bui0EPjiBuhaHyBtSYC-I4/s320/shutta%20smaller%202022.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m
excited to have author Shutta Crum here. She is a talented picture book and
middle grade author as well as a poet. I’ve known Shutta for decades. She was
also a librarian at my library, and I used to take my daughter to her story
time events. She’s also been a member of the Michigan SCBWI for decades and is
always willing to help aspiring writers and authors. Her most recent book
releases are two picture books, Grandma Heaven and Grandpa Heaven.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Shutta is here today to share
tips on surviving the long haul of a writing career.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Here’s a blurb of Grandma Heaven
from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125459871-grandma-heaven?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Xx3RsCmPjQ&rank=4">Goodreads</a>:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Heaven is a place where one can have fun. Or so thinks
award-winning author Shutta Crum. When asked about death by one of her
grandchildren, she imagined the perfect heaven. A place where grandmothers play
hockey, have iguanas as pets, jump rope, find treasures at jumble sales, and
keep a loving eye on grandchildren. Grandma Heaven, and its companion book,
Grandpa Heaven, provide reassurance to young worriers that heaven is a happy
place and that love never dies.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: large;"><b><u>Follower News</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqw_ONCfaycRGu70nUgyO6ryTXpqbFruJeT2WLhlP5WTUyQ-Rx9-XXH6vo1JwkrXJKzBkvzf32lHPmSgYxs_Ls-hfRkRE9GGoKL-vU4MGXrDfJdk4AMmbYoXa80ZIWtpyxJusj1zzNvzVg0qaMpAJs_glbdJzWV9aPys9abKDYp3afVCK0CDhE1nM0ZM/s2800/SheriffTyree-SC-v22.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="1838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqw_ONCfaycRGu70nUgyO6ryTXpqbFruJeT2WLhlP5WTUyQ-Rx9-XXH6vo1JwkrXJKzBkvzf32lHPmSgYxs_Ls-hfRkRE9GGoKL-vU4MGXrDfJdk4AMmbYoXa80ZIWtpyxJusj1zzNvzVg0qaMpAJs_glbdJzWV9aPys9abKDYp3afVCK0CDhE1nM0ZM/w131-h200/SheriffTyree-SC-v22.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Before I get to Shutta's guest post, I have Follower News to share. Sandra Cox recently released Sheriff<br /> Tyree, book 2 in her Keeper Series. Here's a tagline: There's a new sheriff in town. And here's a buy link:</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Sheriff-Tyree-Keeper-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0CN3S271W&source=gmail&ust=1706195275934000&usg=AOvVaw3_ik3i4nsdp4FuTpypd39f" href="https://www.amazon.com/Sheriff-Tyree-Keeper-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0CN3S271W" jslog="32272; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWE6cjMxOTIyMzA4MDM1MDk4OTQxMzEiXQ..; 4:WyIjbXNnLWY6MTc4ODkzMjA0MTUyOTEwMTgzMSJd" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/<wbr></wbr>Sheriff-Tyree-Keeper-Book-2-<wbr></wbr>ebook/dp/B0CN3S271W</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Now here's Shutta!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Tips on Surviving the Long Haul—Writing for Life</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">A friend of mine recently sent me
a compiled list of writing tip lists. <a href="https://authorspublish.com/45-writers-rules-for-writing/">It’s here</a>.
(Do check it out, there’re some really good ones.) That got me thinking. I’ve
been in this game for a long time—traditionally published for about forty-eight
years with over 160 poems in print and 20 books out. And, of course, I’ve been writing
for much longer than that. Which means that I, too, have a handy list that
might supply the fuel for some of you when things feel like they’re dragging,
or you just can’t get your butt back in the chair another day. And since we
traditionally reflect upon where we’ve been and where we’re going at the start
of each new year, here’s my list of eleven things to do to keep you writing for
a lifetime. Why eleven and not ten? Because I’m a fan of that hilarious rock-mockumentary
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap"><i>This is Spinal
Tap</i></a><i>.</i> Besides, why not?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Love—be
open to it.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Let your guard down. Live your
life to the fullest with all its ups and downs. To write is to create something
that will be held up to the light. That creation will come from a place of caring—even
if your life is tough. Love is the propellant that will empower your writing—love
of reading, love of conversation, love of creating, love of simply being. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Experience—walk
about.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvQY5SVXoOPp7yBnLbKKqQfTw4AN_Ew1bVPZxgSLY9-Yv7CU0QLTwOIZq4ucBbIC_mYboAJrdNoaRwr4nMscoeJ7NTiJY90Q6kLIAT3GzD5U7m3QDpKIsV11lTgS6j96bB3zkIRRqGub2Lfsv1CIM3us2qxBMRKM8BzpJIdbbIi3RcJ_cu45H-LEL0-s/s4381/G%20&%20G%20covers%20side%20by%20side.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1815" data-original-width="4381" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvQY5SVXoOPp7yBnLbKKqQfTw4AN_Ew1bVPZxgSLY9-Yv7CU0QLTwOIZq4ucBbIC_mYboAJrdNoaRwr4nMscoeJ7NTiJY90Q6kLIAT3GzD5U7m3QDpKIsV11lTgS6j96bB3zkIRRqGub2Lfsv1CIM3us2qxBMRKM8BzpJIdbbIi3RcJ_cu45H-LEL0-s/s320/G%20&%20G%20covers%20side%20by%20side.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">A writer needs an ocean to draw
from. Get out and about. Wade in the ocean. Do things. Do not coop yourself up
in a stuffy room or dark corner staring at a blank screen or piece of paper.
Walk out. Walk widely. Walk with an open heart. Breathe in that salt-filled
air. Fill your ocean with wonderful adventures. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Stand
back—and use your senses.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Telling you to stand back may
seem like an odd admonition, especially as I’ve just advised loving and living
widely. But in order to create you have to take a step back and examine your
life and the adventures you’re having in that walk-about, and in those
relationships. Stand at a little distance and touch, taste, smell, hear, and
look at what/who interests you. Touch an emotion you felt as you walked about. Can
you put your hand around it? What is its heft? Does it sing to you when you put
it to your ear? </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Scribble—let
your inner toddler out.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Jot things down. Record your
thoughts. Slap chocolate covered hands against walls. It doesn’t matter how you
do it, or how messy you are. Just get it in writing, or get it recorded.
Collect your thoughts. I have a friend who wrote occasional lines on scraps of
paper and tossed them into a laundry basket. When he wanted to write a poem,
he’d pull a handful out and see what came of it. Yes, it can be that disorganized.
In fact, I believe it’s preferable to be unorganized! Don’t slow down to
critique yourself or be so concerned with orderliness that you can’t fling open
the gates and let your imagination run free—while hitching a ride on it. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Revise—play
with the mess.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mxFPAU0iV5ae-Ir7pMSleMz6hdxSNcdmmR8DaHeww2JH1fIr0cBbXLmUUGLkAwhiupmri0-CiGnvU7jEe_Qp98SiAC7KkexTA1ylOqjDnl7Wch7y6_JPEiQoRRlyt7ZMVhiWBidejeJMcdKL3X5gF7wB_1lXPhsfREtUCfrVzSEPxFsK0Fyion-OLUI/s400/thomas.bmp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mxFPAU0iV5ae-Ir7pMSleMz6hdxSNcdmmR8DaHeww2JH1fIr0cBbXLmUUGLkAwhiupmri0-CiGnvU7jEe_Qp98SiAC7KkexTA1ylOqjDnl7Wch7y6_JPEiQoRRlyt7ZMVhiWBidejeJMcdKL3X5gF7wB_1lXPhsfREtUCfrVzSEPxFsK0Fyion-OLUI/s320/thomas.bmp" width="218" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Are you sensing a theme here? The
joy of just living, loving, creating? Revision is a critical component. Sure,
some writers grumble about revision, but it can be fun as well. Pull out a few
notes that seem to connect to each other and, like a tangram puzzle, move
things around. See what kind of shape(s) you can form from a variety of
prompts, emotions, ideas, scenarios, characters. Whether you write poems, short
stories, novels, non-fiction, plays, gaming scripts, whatever—grab hold of the
bits and pieces, play, shake them up and see what begins to clump together. Can
you breathe life into it? </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Plan—start
adulting.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">You always knew there’d be a time
to grow up. Well, at least, to put that toddler down for a nap. Okay—now is the
time to ask yourself, what is my intention regarding my writing? Try to get
clear about this—knowing that it might change later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you writing for strictly personal reasons
and have no desire to share with the world. Fine. Do it. Do you want to
share/publish? If so, figure out how you’re going to go about it. Now is the
time to get organized and get help. Join a critique group, and a professional
organization like <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/">SCBWI</a> or other writing
groups, like the <a href="https://poetrysociety.org/">Poetry Soc. of America,</a>
<a href="https://mysterywriters.org/about-mwa/">Mystery Writers of America</a>,
etc. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>7. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Submit—go for it!<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">If your plan is to publish,
really go for it. That old saying is correct, “You can’t jump a chasm in two
leaps.” (Variously attributed to Twain, Churchill, or Chesterton.) Research and
get yourself an agent. And/or start submitting to publishers/journals/media
outlets yourself. There are many printed and online sites that will provide
instructions on how to prepare a submission, who to submit to, and what those
publication agencies are looking for. (<a href="http://www.duotrope.com/">Duotrope</a>
and <a href="https://manager.submittable.com/opportunities/discover">Submittable</a>
are helpful. As are many of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Market-100th-Trusted-Published/dp/0593332032/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JMFPIWXKVJVX&keywords=writers+market&qid=1684166215&sprefix=writers+market%2Caps%2C372&sr=8-1">writer’s
market guides</a> put out by Writer’s Digest Books.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do your homework. Most writer organizations
can help with research and recommendations, as well. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">It’s good to get your family on
board at this point. They need to understand that this writing business will
take some of your time, your energy, your attention, and your money. And it
really helps to have a couple of cheerleaders amongst your near and dears.
Their hopes and good wishes for you can buoy you up when you need it.<b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>8. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scribble & Revise again—play while you
wait.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtBk2eb-D58EPjzD6S_6nBKqdKto3tZbCLOEpLtCXNZquCPHq5M4op4PKSteuOv8jiuiVAZEw_u3HOClWy2B3J2QePz-O34m8-4WcXBGLqPNzR04NEMmjSMvG19lr3-D_aoS9ONxvKlIcwamynPsaAFQCtELB7iCB1wE7usbcNTXcO1v5nXmHqDyx8og/s3040/Mouseling%20Cover%20300dpi.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="3040" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtBk2eb-D58EPjzD6S_6nBKqdKto3tZbCLOEpLtCXNZquCPHq5M4op4PKSteuOv8jiuiVAZEw_u3HOClWy2B3J2QePz-O34m8-4WcXBGLqPNzR04NEMmjSMvG19lr3-D_aoS9ONxvKlIcwamynPsaAFQCtELB7iCB1wE7usbcNTXcO1v5nXmHqDyx8og/s320/Mouseling%20Cover%20300dpi.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Don’t ignore the fun part of all
this. Continue to scribble, take notes, journal, and draft as you wait to hear
from agents or publishers. Feed that creative half of your brain with new
projects. Artwork of any kind helps to fuel the writing. Love mosaics? Collage?
Car restoration? Keep your creativity on a sugar/caffeine high. Now is a good
time to learn to juggle. You want to continue to play messily while also being
well-organized with your submission record keeping. You can do it! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>9. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scribble, scribble, scribble . . .</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Don’t stop! And keep living large
and reading widely to find new ideas and ways of seeing/feeling that you are
going to take note of. Sure, there will be down days—days you get yet another
rejection. But without the lows how could we feel the joys of the high days?
Just steady yourself and remember that you are a creative person. Your words,
your art matters. The good you put out into the world can have ramifications
beyond your wildest imaginings, and that may start with a single soul who
adores what you’ve done.<b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>10. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Revise, revise, revise . . .<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Love revision. Invite it into
your boudoir with a copy of the Kama Sutra. Enjoy yourself. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>11. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love your path.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlhJgctL-zFCowlH5Jb3XU1NwRFEqflBfQCPppGVl0e-hW5C4t_GhSAd8tuHTfYayFmS5IeZEIacmvi16DTlskPRYIVwzeWQXjvZYjq9Z7uKG8s6GiXiUQtinv8uLs0IQzJrwAQgrMqvKolePxFQQkqdsQDRzBcO8zWS2Z1vle2cJha0mYezyA2QKUZ0/s2700/crum_front%20cover%20Meet%20Me%20Out%20There%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1799" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlhJgctL-zFCowlH5Jb3XU1NwRFEqflBfQCPppGVl0e-hW5C4t_GhSAd8tuHTfYayFmS5IeZEIacmvi16DTlskPRYIVwzeWQXjvZYjq9Z7uKG8s6GiXiUQtinv8uLs0IQzJrwAQgrMqvKolePxFQQkqdsQDRzBcO8zWS2Z1vle2cJha0mYezyA2QKUZ0/s320/crum_front%20cover%20Meet%20Me%20Out%20There%20(1).jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Love the path you’ve decided upon.
You can always change your mind about publishing/or not. And love the people
you’ll meet along the way—most will be helpful. Contribute to the zeitgeist of
the book world. Support your fellow writers. Here’s an article I wrote about
writers supporting writers: <a href="https://floridawriters.blog/writers-illustrators-effective-ways-to-help-us-all-succeed/">Effective
Ways to Help Us All Succeed. </a> Check
out the ways you can help. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">And, if you meet those who
belittle your efforts or try to discourage you, recognize that there are some
unresolved issues in their lives. The fault does not lie in you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them space but continue onward according
to your plans for your writing. It’s your gift, don’t let anyone spit on it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b>12.* <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Celebrate—as much as possible!</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Don’t skimp. Don’t be shy. A
neighbor comments on a piece you wrote for a neighborhood flyer—have an extra
sip of wine in its honor! If a book, an illustration, a poem, or a story gets
accepted be proud. Let folks know. And join the celebrations of your fellow
writers. We’re all in this together. Celebration is the butter and cream that’s
baked into a rich life. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i>*(I know, I only said there’d
be eleven. But there’s twelve. What can I say? I turned my sound system up two
notches above 10! Take that, Spinal Tap!)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p><span color="windowtext">Resources:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://authorspublish.com/45-writers-rules-for-writing/">45 Writers
Rules for Writing</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.duotrope.com/">Duotrope</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://manager.submittable.com/opportunities/discover">Submittable<o:p></o:p></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/writer-s-market-100th-edition-the-most-trusted-guide-to-getting-published-robert-lee-brewer/16880706?ean=9780593332030">Writer’s
Market</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.scbwi.org/">Society</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> of Childen’s Book Writers & Illustrators<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span color="windowtext">Shutta’s Links:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.shutta.com/">www.shutta.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/shuttacrum">www.facebook.com/shuttacrum</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Twitter: @ Shutta<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Instagram: @Shuttacrum<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Thanks for all your advice, Shutta!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest
Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Wednesday, January 31st I have an
agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruszka and a query critique giveaway</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Thursday, February 1st I’m
participating in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Wednesday, February 7th I have an
interview with debut author Marc Gregson and a giveaway of his YA dystopian Sky’s
End</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Monday, February 12th I have a
guest post by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a blog-tour giveaway</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Monday, February 26th I have an
interview with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her MG graphic
novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">I
hope to see you on Wednesday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-25097695429195366162024-01-22T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-22T06:00:00.179-05:00Debut Author Interview: Anthony Nerada and Skater Boy Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited
to have debut author Anthony Nerada here to share about his contemporary YA
romance Skater Boy. It sounds like a real page-turner that tugs at your heart.
I’m looking forward to reading it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s a blurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_ULhk6WC9pB-Mi8aOojv5xMYt1Rf5C4986EY_S5n8avKT51UtlvG2EbAAq4dkHRXvqEdUikwhBkfx5a96Kt6QvDjb4Su7ghwnVV3cFh_Zm09jVKnaa9XXwMiNLbjpVSNWGcLBjhimWAtFYNjtD4KKPI95hzq_dBHsbOZGgTBjCCXUWe7fPUcWKcZkLs/s2298/1-Anthony%20Nerada_Preferred%20Headshot_credit%20Jordan%20Doak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2298" data-original-width="1911" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_ULhk6WC9pB-Mi8aOojv5xMYt1Rf5C4986EY_S5n8avKT51UtlvG2EbAAq4dkHRXvqEdUikwhBkfx5a96Kt6QvDjb4Su7ghwnVV3cFh_Zm09jVKnaa9XXwMiNLbjpVSNWGcLBjhimWAtFYNjtD4KKPI95hzq_dBHsbOZGgTBjCCXUWe7fPUcWKcZkLs/s320/1-Anthony%20Nerada_Preferred%20Headshot_credit%20Jordan%20Doak.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #424243; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this YA
pop-punk debut about queer romance and destroying labels, a teen risks
everything to write his own story. Perfect for fans of Sonora Reyes and Adib
Khorram.</span></b><span style="color: #424243; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Stonebridge High’s resident bad boy, Wesley “Big
Mac” Mackenzie, is failing senior year—thanks to his unchecked anger, rowdy
friends, and a tendency to ditch his homework for skateboarding and a secret
photography obsession. So when his mom drags him to a production of <i>The
Nutcracker</i>, Wes isn’t interested at all . . . until he sees Tristan Monroe.
Mr. Nutcracker himself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Wes knows he shouldn’t like Tristan; after all,
he’s a ballet dancer, and Wes is as closeted as they come. But when they start
spending time together, Wes can’t seem to get Tristan out of his head.
Driven by a new sense of purpose, Wes begins to think that—despite every
authority figure telling him otherwise—maybe he can change for the better and
graduate on time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">As a falling out with his friends becomes
inevitable, Wes realizes that being himself means taking a stand—and blowing up
the bad-boy reputation he never wanted in the first place.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">From a debut author to watch, <i>Skater Boy</i> delivers
a heart-wrenching, validating, and honest story about what it means to be gay
in a world where you don’t fit in.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hi Anthony!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tell us about
yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sure! I
was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on the traditional,
ancestral, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. I’ve spent my whole
life writing—whether that was doodling picture books as a kid or writing screenplays
in my high school Film & Television course—but I really started taking writing
seriously after I finished my first full-length novel way back in 2010 and
pitched the idea to a literary agent at a local writing conference. After that,
it took me nearly ten years to land an agent, and another two years to get a
book deal, but I like to think I was always preparing to become a writer (it
just took me a little longer to get there).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. I'm definitely taking longer to get there too. Where
did you get the idea for writing Skater Boy?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After a
year of working at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, I was driving home to
Canada with my partner when Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne came on the radio.
Instantly, I was brought me back to a time when I used to secretly change the
pronouns to all my favorite songs so that I could picture myself (and my own
lived experience as a gay male) within the lyrics I so loved as a kid. For the
rest of the drive home, I couldn’t get the idea of an angry gay skater boy
falling in love with an out-and-proud ballet dancer out of my head and the rest
is history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Writing Process</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. How
long did it take to write the first draft and then revise Skater Boy before you
began querying? What part of the process did you enjoy more? Why?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Upon
arriving home to Canada, I sat down at my desk and was able to pump out the
first draft of Skater Boy in two months. I really did treat it like a full-time
job. After that, I shared my manuscript with a handful of trusted beta readers and
spent the next few months editing and revising the story before participating
in #DVPit; an annual pitching event (then hosted on Twitter), that gives unagented,
marginalized voices the chance to pitch agents online.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As weird
as it sounds, while I do enjoy the initial writing of the story, I absolutely
love the editing process because it’s like a huge puzzle you have to solve and
gives you the opportunity to really hone in your voice and writing style. When
you edit, it’s almost like you can watch your story getting tighter and
stronger in real-time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. I
can’t believe you wrote Skater Boy in two months. I love the editing more too. From
reading reviews, it sounds like Skater Boy is a page turner. How did you keep
increasing the tension? What tips do you have for writers writing a
contemporary story for writing a fast-paced story?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0rIY56s_5oN0JAkXcYfToKzYrJBFGM3rA9W_ppjIrzpJYFbbOqIO9UPfpi65qB2z4HHTJY0QnYGhUZXOirElKBm_sZW6pGkd8V4f0bNmDxm78D-P9hCW6vEQhOfJJE0W8iUtOjxjYajImgYvmLuhNizgt31tbBNyEPiRJXbjBppDuWZ4bDTGEC0jRxE/s3300/Skater%20Boy%20by%20Anthony%20Nerada_Cover%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0rIY56s_5oN0JAkXcYfToKzYrJBFGM3rA9W_ppjIrzpJYFbbOqIO9UPfpi65qB2z4HHTJY0QnYGhUZXOirElKBm_sZW6pGkd8V4f0bNmDxm78D-P9hCW6vEQhOfJJE0W8iUtOjxjYajImgYvmLuhNizgt31tbBNyEPiRJXbjBppDuWZ4bDTGEC0jRxE/s320/Skater%20Boy%20by%20Anthony%20Nerada_Cover%20(1).jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">No matter
what I’m writing, I always tend to visualize my projects as movies in my head.
That way, by putting my story on the proverbial silver screen, if I ever get “bored”,
I know there’s still work to be done to fix it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
increase tension in </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skater Boy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I just kept asking myself; how would Wes
feel in this moment? What would he do that may differ to how I would react
right now? Most of the time, it meant putting Wes in situations where he was
forced to grow or learn something about himself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am in
no way an expert, but my tip for writers wanting to write a fast-paced
contemporary story would be to visualize your story as if you were in the
audience at a movie theater and—if you feel yourself becoming bogged down by the
details or feel like a scene is dragging on when it doesn’t need to—to kill
your darlings!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. That’s
a great tip for all genres to think of your story as a movie. Wes’ journey is
not only about accepting that he’s falling for Tristan. It’s also about the
changes and stands he takes in other aspects of his life. Share a bit about how
he developed as a character and what you learned about character development in
general from writing this story.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
makes Wes’ journey really beautiful to me is that he starts off as this angry,
kind of lost, hot-head, but by the end of the book, he’s more receptive to
those around him and maybe even a bit gentler—without ever really losing that
initial anger. I always like to say that we, as humans, contain multitudes so
our characters should reflect that on the page as well. Perhaps what I learned
most about character development when writing this story is that it’s okay to
have your characters not know all the answers and it’s okay for them to make
mistakes because that’s just part of the human experience and ignoring that
would be a real detriment to readers looking to find themselves within a story.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your
Road to Publication</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Maria
Vincente is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your road to
getting a publishing contract like?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My road
to publication was slow and long! I went out on submission with </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skater Boy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
in 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic—when the publishing industry came to
a roaring halt. After two years on submission, I wasn’t even sure if it would
ever sell (and questioned my own writing ability every day) before Soho Teen came
in with an offer. I’d like to think of it as a blessing in disguise though
because, if it hadn’t taken as long as it did, I never would have worked with
my incredible editor (and I wouldn’t have traded that for the world)!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
actually signed with Maria earlier this year after leaving my former agent (because
that does happen and it’s perfectly okay/all part of the process when it does) and
am so excited to see what we accomplish together!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. Share
what you learned about the craft of writing and how to make your story stronger
from working with your editor.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the
short amount of time that we spent together, my editor at Soho Teen (Alexa
Wejko) taught me so much about the craft of writing. Because I had spent so much
time in Wes’ head before selling </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skater Boy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I mistakenly assumed
readers would understand him the way I intrinsically understood him to be. What
Alexa did beautifully is that she taught me to pause and really look at my book
from an outsider’s perspective to identify where the gaps in Wes’ perspective might
be. In doing so, I was able to deep dive into his psyche and further explore his
thoughts and feelings on the page, which I hope resonates with readers when
they pick up </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skater Boy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">On
Marketing Your Book</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. What
are you doing to promote your book for its release and in the upcoming months?
How are you marketing in the U.S. when you live in Canada?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this day and age, anyone can tell you how
hard it is for an author to get noticed on social media, but that doesn’t mean
we’re not out there doing everything we can to promote our work! In the coming
months, you’ll find me embarrassing myself on Tik Tok, highlighting some of the
amazing blurbs I’ve been fortunate enough to receive from some of my favorite
YA authors on Instagram, launching my </span><a href="https://anthonynerada.com/2023/11/27/skater-boy-pre-order-campaign/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">pre-order campaign</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for some
exclusive <i>Skater Boy</i> swag, and heading out on a 5-city Pacific Northwest
book tour.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being perpetually online does have its
perks and I’ve been able to make some really great connections with readers and
book influencers across North America (and beyond). A lot of what I do to
promote Skater Boy is just talking with people, making videos I hope will
resonate with the larger YA audience, and trying my best to put my name out
there in the lead up to my launch date.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">9. It sounds like you have a great
marketing plan. You have a publicist at Soho Teen and Penguin Random House in
Canada. What has it been like working with your publicists? What advice do you
have for other debut authors about working with a publicist?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s been great! Both my publicists at
Soho Teen and Penguin Random House Canada have been so wonderful throughout
everything. During a publicity meeting earlier this year, they laid out what to
expect in the coming months and opened the floor for me to ask questions and
provide feedback on any preliminary ideas they had planned. It’s been a super
collaborative partnership and I cannot wait to see what they will do leading up
to </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Skater Boy</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">’s release.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My advice to other debut authors working
with a publicist would be to come prepared with any questions you may have and
a rough idea of what you’d like to see happen leading up to your publication
date. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to publicity and every
author’s journey looks different, but in my opinion, it never hurts to shoot
for the stars and see where you land. That being said, if you have any local
media connections or know of any review publications that might be a good fit
for your book, bring your ideas to the table because you never know what could
happen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. What
are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Without giving away any spoilers, I’m
currently in the middle of writing/editing a Young Adult romance/contemporary
that pays tribute to one of my favorite musicals of all time. Growing up, I
always wanted to be part of the musical theater world, but never really had the
opportunity, so this is very much my way of exploring what could have been. The
story itself is campy and full of emotion with a cast of characters I
absolutely love, and I cannot wait to hopefully share it with the world one day
(fingers crossed).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice,
Anthony. You can find Anthony at @AnthonyNerada (on </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/anthonynerada"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="http://www.tiktok.com/@anthonynerada"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TikTok</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyNerada"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="https://www.threads.net/@anthonynerada"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Threads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and </span><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/anthonynerada.bsky.social"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bluesky</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">) or </span><a href="http://www.anthonynerada.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.anthonynerada.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anthony’s publisher is
generously offering an ARC of Skater Boy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">for a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need
to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or
bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February 3rd. <b>If
your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to
enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Anthony
on his social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This ARC giveaway
is U.S.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruska and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday, February 1st I’m participating
in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, February 7th I have an
interview with debut author Marc Gregson and a giveaway of his YA dystopian
Sky’s End</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February 12th I have a guest post
by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a blog-tour giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, February 14th I have an agent
spotlight interview with </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Stuti Telidevara and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;">Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, February 26th I have an interview
with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her MG graphic novel Kira and
the (Maybe) Space Princess</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to see you on Monday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-64210851309666689002024-01-16T09:00:00.012-05:002024-01-19T10:54:24.311-05:00Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eLmZxWnQfvyVvNkzRrM0iKqf3XSISokpFpv8qOODfj351YCddjZoK4eA3tEFlHE0OFCL5NnmcWK0ae9NQbcHTKyrm-K7dvk8tV_Ym9_LTxq93f_tf1c5p0PouttxAnWWM7ccY-TPF2upOnwoqG7bJoiWTKbfGSKXUAavjDSEUDLX2h8IyFlMmo-Yx80/s300/January%20Winter%20Wishes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eLmZxWnQfvyVvNkzRrM0iKqf3XSISokpFpv8qOODfj351YCddjZoK4eA3tEFlHE0OFCL5NnmcWK0ae9NQbcHTKyrm-K7dvk8tV_Ym9_LTxq93f_tf1c5p0PouttxAnWWM7ccY-TPF2upOnwoqG7bJoiWTKbfGSKXUAavjDSEUDLX2h8IyFlMmo-Yx80/s1600/January%20Winter%20Wishes.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop hosted by <a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a>. I hope you're getting through the winter storm okay. In Michigan, January and February tend to be our coldest and snowiest months. I'm grateful I work from home because we have snow and the high temperature will be 10 for the next few days. Yikes! <div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card</u></b></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on
Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to
reading. If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by January 31st telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 22nd I have an interview
with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Anthony
Nerada and a giveaway of his YA contemporary Skater Boy</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruszka and a query critique
giveaway</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope to see you on Monday!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Here are all the blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /></div><!--start InLinkz script-->
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=830475&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
</script>
<!--end InLinkz script-->Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-38704180099145019682024-01-08T06:00:00.003-05:002024-01-19T10:53:56.340-05:00 Literary Agent Interview: Leah Moss Interview and Query Critique Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I’m thrilled to have agent Leah Moss here. She is an
associate agent at </span><a href="https://www.stevenliterary.com/"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Steven Literary</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hi Leah!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About Leah:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one,
and what you’ve been doing as an agent.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb590PALayhd4kHtfbCw5G8yTIaSobIzvtKFt3TnGZWB_nznJLOc6Qmg0jqCOprM3Up7LblIiofVn_7E0XurQ08A2W0bqCvKphshMb16Ethfoa9XxgIlAEYozhJ5ODCgUi2IraBy6TF294jHCGjxA85uVWnr-9cAfNPryNOyMJjc3gbgNrOeHhzPEdxk/s2048/received_698065382045859.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb590PALayhd4kHtfbCw5G8yTIaSobIzvtKFt3TnGZWB_nznJLOc6Qmg0jqCOprM3Up7LblIiofVn_7E0XurQ08A2W0bqCvKphshMb16Ethfoa9XxgIlAEYozhJ5ODCgUi2IraBy6TF294jHCGjxA85uVWnr-9cAfNPryNOyMJjc3gbgNrOeHhzPEdxk/s320/received_698065382045859.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I started at Steven Literary as an assistant in January
2023, where I assisted Megan Manzano with queries and a few projects. When
Megan left the industry in July 2023, I was promoted to associate agent, which
was very exciting! Since becoming an agent, I’ve mainly been working on
building my client list and working with my current clients to prepare for
going on sub soon!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About the
Agency:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Share a
bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Steven Literary is a small, fairly new agency founded by Pam
Pho. At Steven Literary, we strive to bring new and diverse voices into the
industry, both on the author side with our clients </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">the agent side with assistants and mentorship. Pam and I both
keep our client lists small so that we can give each author and project that
time and focus that they deserve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What She’s
Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. What age
groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you
represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2023, I was open to a lot of different age groups -
picture books, YA, NA, and Adult. This year, I’m switching things up and want
to focus on just MG, YA, and NA/crossover titles. I’m always looking for strong
hooks, marketable concepts, diverse characters, and lush, beautiful
storytelling.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love fantasy stories that push the boundaries of what
we’ve seen before. Non-traditional mythologies, original magic systems, and
spellbinding new lore are things that I would love to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What She <u>Isn’t</u>
Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. What
types of submissions are you not interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have a comprehensive list of what I’m not looking for on
the </span><a href="https://leahnovamoss.wixsite.com/my-site/manuscript-wishlist"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Manuscript Wishlist</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> page of my website, but to mention a few big topics that
I’m not interested in, I’m really not into high, epic fantasy stories like Lord
of the Rings or The Name of the Wind, hard scifi stories, dragons, historical
fiction, or stories about racism/homophobia/transphobia. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Agent
Philosophy:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6. What is
your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with
and the books you want to represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As a neurodivergent woman of color, I definitely strive to
bring diverse, marginalized authors into the industry. However, I will never be
exclusionary and reject someone purely because they’re </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">not </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">marginalized - all stories are welcome in my eyes! As for the
books I want to represent, I want to bring evocative, unique, and captivating
books to market.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Editorial
Agent:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7. Are you
an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with
your authors before submitting to editors?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, I am! I like to work in 2-3 rounds of edits prior to
going on sub with editors. The first round consists of big picture
developmental edits that tackle issues like plot, pacing, and character
motivation. The second round is about spotting inconsistencies that might have
happened after the first round was completed, as well as diving deeper into
things like word choice, sentence structure, and more. The 3rd round is the
final polishing step before the manuscript goes out to editors, where I scan
for any significant grammar or spelling mistakes, as well as making sure that
any in-line comments are removed and the formatting looks good. The amount of
rounds can fluctuate depending on what the individual manuscript and author
need, but that’s my general process.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Query
Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8. How
should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I accept queries via my </span><a href="https://querymanager.com/LeahMoss"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Query Manager link</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">,
which makes submitting manuscripts quite easy. I love a very streamlined, easy
to read, and attention grabbing query letter. Bonus points if it’s personalized
to me with comp titles from my wishlist, but that’s not a requirement by any
means. Above anything, I love a strong, clear hook that sucks me into the query
and makes it impossible to look away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">First, let me say that I </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">always
</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">fully read through every query, even if it contains elements that I
dislike. That said, I tend to dislike queries that strongly deviate from the
standard query format. Query letters that are exceptionally long, incredibly
brief, or fail to introduce the story to me tend to lessen my interest in the
submission. There are many resources available online on how to structure an
attention grabbing query, so make sure to check them out, for your own benefit!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When it comes to first pages, my dislikes are much more
subjective and depend on writing style, character voice, and the hook of the
story, so it’s hard to pinpoint a specific “dislike.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Response
Time:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10. What’s
your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the past year, my response time has been much longer than
I’d hoped, unfortunately. There have been several queries in my “maybe” pile
for a few months. In 2024 I’m striving to keep my response times for queries,
partials, and fulls fairly quick, out of respect and consideration for the
authors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Self-Published
and Small Press Authors:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11. Are you open to representing authors who have
self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have
for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, I am! As long as the project the author is currently
querying hasn’t been previously published and is a new work that’s unrelated to
their previously published stories (no sequels, please!) then I’m open to
seeing it. My best advice is to make sure that the queried piece really shines
and can stand on its own.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12. With all
the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small
publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is an interesting question. For the most part, no, I
don’t see the role of an agent changing very much, as this industry has
remained pretty steady in terms of the roles and duties of authors, agents, and
editors. However, with the unique phenomenon of self-published indie authors
thrust into fame due BookTok and sometimes having their books acquired and
republished by traditional publishers, I could imagine a world where agents
start acting almost as recruiters to snatch up these pre-established authors
and pitch their catalog of books to editors. Situations like that are rare
though, and at this early point in my career, I’d rather work on helping my
authors build their careers from the ground up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Clients:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13. Who are
some of the authors you represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I currently represent two authors, Brittany Evans and Kayla
Morton. They’re both fantastic authors that I feel so honored to work with!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Interviews
and Guest Posts:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">14. Please
share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be
helpful to writers interested in querying you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I love </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/alexadonne"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexa Donne’s youtube channel</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">; she has lots of great information about writing, querying,
and publishing in general. </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BookEndsLiterary/featured"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Bookends Literary channel</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is also a goldmine of information that writers should check
out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Links and
Contact Info:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15. Please
share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the
Web.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I <i>only </i>accept
queries via my </span><a href="https://querymanager.com/LeahMoss"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Query Manager link</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I am currently closed to queries, but I’ll be reopening
soon! Follow me on Twitter at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LeahNovaMoss"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">@LeahNovaMoss</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for updates on when I reopen and other fun posts!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Additional
Advice</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">16. Is there
any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t
covered?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Please remember that this industry is </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">so </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">subjective in every way. I know that the rejections hurt (I
personally hate having to send them!) but keep querying, keep writing, and keep
believing in that dream of yours. It’s gotten you this far, so don’t give up!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Leah.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Leah is generously offering a query critique to one lucky
winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget,
email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through January
20th. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background: white;">If your email is not on your Google
Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If
you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the
comments.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you
an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have any experience with this agent? See something that
needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at </span><a href="mailto:natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: These
agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's
fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before
querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Upcoming Interviews,
Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</b></u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 22nd I have an interview
with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Anthony
Nerada and a giveaway of his YA contemporary Skater Boy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruszka and a query critique
giveaway<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I hope to see you on Tuesday!</span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-640856746313664102024-01-03T05:00:00.005-05:002024-01-19T10:53:40.189-05:00Author Interview: Mary Averling and The Curse of Eelgrass Bog Giveaway and IWSG Post<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy
New Year and Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to start out 2024 with an
interview with debut author Mary Averling about her MG fantasy The Curse of
Eelgrass Bog. It sounds like it has great world building and memorable
characters. I’m looking forward to reading it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Here’s
a blurb from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69363969-the-curse-of-eelgrass-bog?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ir15evwiGZ&rank=1"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmGiSInEW4w89EfNDiIMdyyxqPP5MtR4ouAUV-KEVoRDQ9865QkLGRfSTeYcoeHeRuij7bt5K4Zc3HnVS1wdhYGfUR2ROdehHO5LZvvFAR4IPQm21EXwWB-fg_8-dmhumgo7pf1pTs17dH0Jdw-ikfoz-bGk7LCVnVFCUdZainPyKD09iXCiHXG0buXc/s707/Mary.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmGiSInEW4w89EfNDiIMdyyxqPP5MtR4ouAUV-KEVoRDQ9865QkLGRfSTeYcoeHeRuij7bt5K4Zc3HnVS1wdhYGfUR2ROdehHO5LZvvFAR4IPQm21EXwWB-fg_8-dmhumgo7pf1pTs17dH0Jdw-ikfoz-bGk7LCVnVFCUdZainPyKD09iXCiHXG0buXc/s320/Mary.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dark
secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a
bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse.</span></b><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not
her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her
interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best
friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But things get even stranger than usual when
Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help
breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the
center of Eelgrass Bog.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Everyone knows the bog is full of witches,
demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that
stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets,
Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever
expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it
before it’s too late..<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54o2urEbAsAJeZFLk98BEF5Fz710Z4UoOI7YP_qSLEJ4U6VWeiNCNE5LRXyteNI_1Wqn4jcRmYKKStJN-IQRHReC2MAyklEjDee48D6IIUwLgmBG9F-ApgM2sMQ8U2kOqy9YQ-CwVU908gaZ1LI2Qrj-Ux3eYFS9Q190O7ZbIBhHwHbG-npyPyRyrcgA/s200/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="200" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54o2urEbAsAJeZFLk98BEF5Fz710Z4UoOI7YP_qSLEJ4U6VWeiNCNE5LRXyteNI_1Wqn4jcRmYKKStJN-IQRHReC2MAyklEjDee48D6IIUwLgmBG9F-ApgM2sMQ8U2kOqy9YQ-CwVU908gaZ1LI2Qrj-Ux3eYFS9Q190O7ZbIBhHwHbG-npyPyRyrcgA/s1600/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before I get to Mary's interview, I have
my IWSG post.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Posting: The first
Wednesday is officially </span><a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insecure Writer's Support Group </span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns
without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire
can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of
all kinds!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; border: none; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The awesome co-hosts this month
are: </span><a href="https://joylenebutler.com/blog" target="_blank"><b><span style="background: white; color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Joylene Nowell Butler,</span></b></a><b><span style="background: white; color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;"> </span></b><a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/olgagodim.wordpress.com" target="_blank"><b><span style="background: white; color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Olga Godim,</span></b></a><b><span style="background: white; color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;"> </span></b><a href="https://pensivepenspost.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="background: white; color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Diedre Knight,</span></b></a><b><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">and</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #191919;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">me!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Optional
Question: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do
you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other
authors?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not published and not on BookBub so I
can’t answer this question. Sorry.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t have much else to talk about this
month. I haven’t been on a good writing schedule for months because of other
commitments and some lack of discipline. I hope I get into a better writing
groove this year. I just started writing regularly last week. So far, I'm doing good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Interview With Mary Averling</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Mary!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tell us about
yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you for having me! I currently daylight
as a PhD student in Ontario, though I’ve lived across Canada and England. It
might sound clichéd, but writing isn’t something I chose—it’s something I’ve
always loved, and I couldn’t tell you exactly where it started. I wrote my
first middle grade novel during my undergrad at the University of Victoria, and
was fortunate enough to be chosen as an Author Mentor Match (AMM) mentee by the
fantabulous Heather Kassner. Even though that book never sold, it connected me
to me wonderful agent, Kelly Sonnack. And the rest is history!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. That’s awesome that you were chosen for
the author mentor match program. Where did you get the idea for </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I
was always a “look at this!” kind of kid, and was lucky enough to grow up
surrounded by wild places: forests, muddy fields, sluggish old rivers. I
remember pretending I’d found unicorn horns and unnatural creatures in the
field behind our house. I knew I wanted to write a story about a “look at
this!” girl, but in this case, I wanted the strange things she discovered to be
real. The rest was stitched together from some of my other favourite
things—museums, secret societies, mysteries, hidden worlds—then I added a
talking head sidekick (for good measure), and the book unspooled from there!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">About
Your Writing Process</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. You’re also working towards your PhD,
which I’ve heard is a very time-consuming process. What is your writing
schedule like? How do you stay productive, especially now that you most likely
have to write a manuscript on contract?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMY1uL_7jzm6gAS4pWOZoLUSEXh8eHLyfcPFaB2QgxQ3-okVokBlKlPkkdwCGrEVY3chKGsFnSgY18z40IX6fRuAeiJulZz6KhT5hJjXQnDfaQLwSzsMUIsG3rHNuEm9uKTmdGVwXWAogqRqGRDQ8l5tuvFDC5bB6Z-FGDzUnyURckZv3vWHDPjhv6jo/s2048/Curse%20of%20Eelgrass.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMY1uL_7jzm6gAS4pWOZoLUSEXh8eHLyfcPFaB2QgxQ3-okVokBlKlPkkdwCGrEVY3chKGsFnSgY18z40IX6fRuAeiJulZz6KhT5hJjXQnDfaQLwSzsMUIsG3rHNuEm9uKTmdGVwXWAogqRqGRDQ8l5tuvFDC5bB6Z-FGDzUnyURckZv3vWHDPjhv6jo/s320/Curse%20of%20Eelgrass.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It does often feel like juggling eggs! My
schedule tends to shift depending on uni deadlines—often, I’ll do school work
during mornings and early afternoons, then write as much as I can in the
evenings. Perhaps counterintuitively, I think the best thing for my
productivity has been giving myself permission to be more flexible. My second
contracted book </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">was </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">written on
deadline, and as a chronic snail writer, I was petrified by the prospect of
having a ticking clock behind me. Luckily I have a very understanding editor!
But I realized that some weeks I’d have a “school brain” where I didn’t want to
write, and other weeks I’d be head-over-heels for my creative projects—so
instead of trying to squash myself into a strict schedule, I listened to those
feelings and let myself work wherever the passion was! Of course, I still need
to be aware of deadlines and expectations, but trusting the process helps keep
my love of writing alive instead of turning it into a chore.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. It’s reassuring to know you were able
to juggle it all, especially since I’m a slow writer too. Share about your
world-building process. What tips do you have for other writers creating a new
world or new town as the setting of their story?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Always, above all, have fun with it! My
worlds are inevitably stitched together from things that make me excited or
curious—bogs, museums, wild places, in-between spaces. Readers are remarkably
attuned to an author’s passion for certain settings, no matter how familiar or
strange. If you write what you find fascinating, readers will latch onto that
excitement too! Especially when writing for children, I think it’s also
important to consider how your character might view their surroundings. What
might draw their attention? And what would they likely not pay attention to at
all? My protagonist, Kess, is forever keeping any eye out for unnatural objects
like bones or magical fossils—she loves worms and crawly things, but she
probably wouldn’t notice more mundane details like car models or out-of-date
kitchen appliances. Keeping this perspective in mind definitely helped me
ensure my world-building felt cohesive!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. What was a challenge you faced in
writing </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The
Curse of Eelgrass Bog when you were working on it with your agent or editor?
What did you learn from it?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Endings are the bane of my existence. Even
when the rest of the book was in submission-ready shape, I had to work through
several extra rounds with my agent to stick the landing. One day, I’ll know how
to end something without wanting to throw my laptop out the window! Another
challenge was ironing out the magic system—both my agent and editor encouraged
me to really think about how the eponymous curse functioned. It made me realize
that “just because” is never the most interesting answer when thinking about </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">why </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">magic and supernatural elements work
the way they do. There’s so much possibility for thematic tie-ins! When all the
pieces click into place, it really does feel like magic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Road to Publication</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Kelly Sonnack is your agent. How did
she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kelly! My superstar! I first started
querying in 2018 after working through AMM; the landscape was very different
back then, but I was lucky enough that after six months, I found myself with
four offers of representation. I’d initially queried a different agent at
Andrea Brown Literary after a referral from one of my professors, who was also
represented by ABLA. That agent wasn’t looking to sign more novelists at the
time, so she graciously passed my materials to Kelly—and I’m so glad she did!
All four agents were brilliant and it was a difficult decision, but ultimately,
Kelly’s enthusiasm, business acumen, and vision made me certain that she was
the perfect partner. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately, that first book never sold.
We made it to acquisitions and received an R&R that fell through after the
editor left the industry, but after a year, we decided to pull it from
submission and focus on EELGRASS BOG. </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That
</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">book was a whole other story! We received a pre-empt after six weeks, which
ended up turning into an auction. I’m still pinching myself that multiple
editors wanted my weird little bog book!! In July 2023 we officially sold to
Gretchen Durning at Razorbill, and I haven’t stopped smiling since.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. What an awesome road to publication
story. Share a few tips on how to get through going on submission from your own
experience getting a publishing contract.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think this is the default advice, but
seriously—keep working on something else. Drafting EELGRASS BOG while on sub
with my first book was a lifesaver, and it meant we could immediately switch
focus after it became clear that my first book wouldn’t be my debut. It’s also
important to surround yourself with people you trust, so you can share
commiserations and celebrations throughout the trenches. It’s a lonely
process—and it can be hard to remember to keep your eyes on your own paper
sometimes—but community is so, so precious and important. We’re all in this
together!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Promoting Your Book</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. What are doing to celebrate the release
of your book and to promote it in general?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since release day is happening over the
holidays, I’m lucky enough to be at home with my family. My lifelong dream is
to walk into a bookstore and see my story on a shelf—and that’s the plan for
release day! I’m hoping to visit a few of my favourite local indies (followed
by a ridiculously decadent dessert somewhere, of course). My university
department is also planning a launch party later in the month—should be
exciting!! Apart from that, I’ve been reaching out to schools, libraries, and
festivals in my area, and doing the usual social media trumpeting. Oof, and
I’ve got a couple of podcast interviews scheduled in a few weeks … we shall see
how they turn out!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. What’s your advice to aspiring authors
and those who have their first publishing contract on building their social
media platform and getting ready for the release of their first book?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do whatever makes you happy. Seriously.
Except in very select cases, social media won’t “move the needle” and it isn’t
worth burning yourself out for those extra clicks and views—unless you enjoy
it, of course. It’s also so, so important to support your fellow authors. If
you want boosts, boost your colleagues! Shout about the books that make you
excited! Social media is a much more joyful place when we uplift each other,
and ultimately, it’s the best way to get people excited for your story, too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was fortunate enough to have a two-book
deal with Penguin Kids, so I’ve been working with my editor on my next middle
grade (slated for release Spring 2025)! I can’t share much yet, except that
it’s a dreamy, surreal, spooky ghost story about doorways and endless
summertimes and unspoken things. I can’t wait to share more soon!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Mary.
You can find Mary at: @maryaverling on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram, or at
maryaverling.com.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mary is generously
offering a hardback of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The
Curse of Eelgrass Bog</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
or a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my
blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right
sidebar) and leave a comment by January 13th. <b>If your email is not on
your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.
Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Mary on
her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra
entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway
is U.S. ad Canada</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge.
You can find the participating blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 22nd I have an interview
with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Anthony
Nerada and a giveaway of his YA contemporary Skater Boy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruszka and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope to see you on Monday!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-4838437301480854762024-01-01T09:00:00.007-05:002024-01-19T10:53:23.188-05:00New Year New You Giveaway Hop<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DSUq9Pl_RZ6rG9olLFISnFJYXesCheiebSLNOMqWcAJ7wh_hiO7yspItc5WwMeAf-Q-57aU42dVnzh3bWwxAkRThJ-KBF_UPTiRiA4kSxlq5H0cfsHjFNp45s-usf2D8DPlRBk9FtI1Hl9DtwsT3yZOc26eYw6BhX1MQYNlh8cOFDB-AkKrwJVw9mPE/s300/January%20New%20Year%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DSUq9Pl_RZ6rG9olLFISnFJYXesCheiebSLNOMqWcAJ7wh_hiO7yspItc5WwMeAf-Q-57aU42dVnzh3bWwxAkRThJ-KBF_UPTiRiA4kSxlq5H0cfsHjFNp45s-usf2D8DPlRBk9FtI1Hl9DtwsT3yZOc26eYw6BhX1MQYNlh8cOFDB-AkKrwJVw9mPE/s1600/January%20New%20Year%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I'm excited to participate in the New Year New You Giveaway
Hop hosted by </span><u style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I hope you had a good holiday season and got some time to relax with family and friends. My daughter and I always spend a day together baking for the holidays. It's always really fun. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">I’ve got a lot of exciting
newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can
also choose another book in the series by these authors. You can find
descriptions of these books on </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/1170354533324894441">Goodreads.</a><span style="color: black;"> Here are your choices:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU1RyQbLOw8EbTXUGQAO4nig-SNF5uQpu_NYW76NRahlr3Y44nXQy7iFYYNPcmWvPyHu5b-crUfxSbEez-YX4MQHk_0BQwtMV3PCOw2I2BvNR0obow0XmphnaA9lA1o7bOAMS_S3CSlVfETvBOUEzEL2uJav-ZrtrRwsJ1owuEd5312XaQAXSMY8wFAc/s1275/Lunar%20Year%20Love%20Story.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU1RyQbLOw8EbTXUGQAO4nig-SNF5uQpu_NYW76NRahlr3Y44nXQy7iFYYNPcmWvPyHu5b-crUfxSbEez-YX4MQHk_0BQwtMV3PCOw2I2BvNR0obow0XmphnaA9lA1o7bOAMS_S3CSlVfETvBOUEzEL2uJav-ZrtrRwsJ1owuEd5312XaQAXSMY8wFAc/w141-h200/Lunar%20Year%20Love%20Story.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqLuHFh2Sk4TAwwwK-UQsGKAyoKh8ZBzHqTd3m-CcIz7UxTcRQDdomO9LvqzRbz33_QzMxoQj90OV2vr92PsfV5a2lu2ieYPoZRRZfq9Rp5gtksjJE7AYAQ9lmsPxNg6s90zV0vPH2UQ05mkeB-gk53JJJ24ghC9zG3bS8wr0KTez0UkvS8l-kXy4iIE/s800/Mostly%20Ardetly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlemmKdDqUrqyZMkABjpu8S5caQr5okU7AftvYLPcc8t3rcyq7hUO1YexfbFiDpXv01iqKaCC3JsBbacuP0qeE7r_oZ70HqGwzC5yYrA7Z6p8ojUJHpqp4P1LbXzgP-jTW3rvuEqE6xFrpqOR_YJ8lYCajMne1HC7yCIXxZMXzMb5k-tsOqOgPORIpuI/s1688/Sky's%20End.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="1100" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlemmKdDqUrqyZMkABjpu8S5caQr5okU7AftvYLPcc8t3rcyq7hUO1YexfbFiDpXv01iqKaCC3JsBbacuP0qeE7r_oZ70HqGwzC5yYrA7Z6p8ojUJHpqp4P1LbXzgP-jTW3rvuEqE6xFrpqOR_YJ8lYCajMne1HC7yCIXxZMXzMb5k-tsOqOgPORIpuI/w131-h200/Sky's%20End.png" width="131" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnL4m5afcemN0a89Sg9NW1s3F_8E-n6mMVziVqGMe093LrHM4bKabkXXlavLOH3Dq9UOVKF6oFTMhXCcyl1YgIb-2e05QV0Gd3ccYcz9NFxaX4TF2IpfTuI2cH606FPJuM9f0ZaC93gBQnpJjjn6Ndu29xFdMazBMz5nyrg_i-dcj9FTQWt4JOBF_WR0/s1504/Colliding%20Worlds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you haven't found a book
you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Xpd7jVAHUJnY_1ydu7KOmgzKf3Snd_EehdSTBLcUCLWcQc-xrk97ViKyzn732PAtUlDTjLdz4rx0JJQh3gynPub6Z96IGDFQ6ERuFfpWJ4hEYU20LhLYQrrsNcibpwc89iP9TXvpQsV8oShrIo13w2gdnimMU8xQksEy8COJOJHqgWlMIN_RDk4T6aE/s80/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="80" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Xpd7jVAHUJnY_1ydu7KOmgzKf3Snd_EehdSTBLcUCLWcQc-xrk97ViKyzn732PAtUlDTjLdz4rx0JJQh3gynPub6Z96IGDFQ6ERuFfpWJ4hEYU20LhLYQrrsNcibpwc89iP9TXvpQsV8oShrIo13w2gdnimMU8xQksEy8COJOJHqgWlMIN_RDk4T6aE/w200-h150/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by January 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an interview
with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and my
IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 22nd I have an interview
with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Anthony
Nerada and a giveaway of his YA contemporary Skater Boy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruszka and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope to see you on Wednesday!</span></p></div><br /> <!--start InLinkz script-->
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<!--end InLinkz script--><p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-50575517097490865342023-12-18T06:00:00.002-05:002023-12-18T09:25:24.965-05:00Author Interview: Joanne Rossmassler Fritz and Ruptured Giveaway<p><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday
Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have Joanne Rossmassler Fritz back to share
about her new MG novel in verse Ruptured. Joanne’s debut MG book was Everywhere
Blue, a beautiful novel in verse dealing with a mystery about how Maddie’s
older brother disappeared. I interviewed Joanne when her book was released, and
here’s the </span><a href="http://www.literaryrambles.com/2021/06/debut-author-interview-joanne.html"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">link
to her interview</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I’m especially excited to read Ruptured because
this topic hits home. My daughter and I had to navigate my late husband’s
near-death experiences more than once, and I wish I had this book to share with
my daughter back then.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here's a
blurb from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59932038-ruptured?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=J2t9oRbw71&rank=2"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPDLr7Hw0fHrzCIlhiqW3cISIK2vZP_fLpbWOz3tbNyH13ncpCyEfVAOJD8FTGM3QoPs-m1VxdM7NEu4ZepAjDSByACvtkz4X_UaRBWnMzimEtD6fEGbjDpywpIkv_GiOFKDWKbfiz-DqrJ_kMhLASHy7C6jNwZu5n5_LO9ooEt4iUZ8MsXNRJjRdAXk/s500/head%20shot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPDLr7Hw0fHrzCIlhiqW3cISIK2vZP_fLpbWOz3tbNyH13ncpCyEfVAOJD8FTGM3QoPs-m1VxdM7NEu4ZepAjDSByACvtkz4X_UaRBWnMzimEtD6fEGbjDpywpIkv_GiOFKDWKbfiz-DqrJ_kMhLASHy7C6jNwZu5n5_LO9ooEt4iUZ8MsXNRJjRdAXk/s320/head%20shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Is it wrong
to grieve for someone who is still alive?</span></i><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Claire's mom and dad don't talk to each other
much anymore. And they definitely don't laugh or dance the way they used to.
Their tense, stilted stand offs leave thirteen-year-old Claire, an only child,
caught in the middle. So when the family takes their annual summer vacation,
Claire sticks her nose in a book and hopes for the best. Maybe the sunshine and
ocean breeze will fix what's gone wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But while the family is away, Claire's mother
has a ruptured brain aneurysm--right after she reveals a huge secret to Claire.
Though she survives the rupture, it seems like she is an entirely different
person. Claire has no idea if her mom meant what she said, or if she even
remembers saying it. With the weight of her mom's confession on her shoulders,
Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents
stay together? And if the answer to either question is yes, how will Claire
learn to live with what she knows? This beautifully written novel speaks to
kids' fears and credits their strength, and stems from the author's incredible
experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Joanne!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tell us how you
became a writer and what it was like to be a debut author.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi
Natalie! Thank you so much for having me back. Like many writers, I spent years
reading widely, and realized while I was still in school that I wanted to write
books like the ones I loved. But it took me a very long time to get there! I
spent many years trying to write picture books, and essays and short stories,
before finally turning to novels after my first brain aneurysm rupture. And it
took me more than ten years of writing novels to get an agent and then an offer
from a traditional publisher.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
loved being a debut author. A lot of it was confusing, I’ll admit, and
publishing can be a brutal business, but most of it was wonderful! What
surprised me the most was how close I became to some of my fellow 21ders, my
debut author group.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. That’s great that you enjoyed your
debut year. Where did you get the idea for Ruptured?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPxVuyAFMeLYbkhifVFRlrIDBhP4ZUMzTygdwwtW8esVSzx3fDDqjBS77iS1-2WdJC8cj9L1_i-R_2RHmyqlCeV4Hhx_Svp4u88HWylJ3x-ixZ0J1_rxY1RN_REj23b6PWnu7fQXvV4tfnkborWlGoJRpkOWWpbOdQdi6piwohDE1Asf8acHwejkGuF0/s499/RUPTURED%20cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPxVuyAFMeLYbkhifVFRlrIDBhP4ZUMzTygdwwtW8esVSzx3fDDqjBS77iS1-2WdJC8cj9L1_i-R_2RHmyqlCeV4Hhx_Svp4u88HWylJ3x-ixZ0J1_rxY1RN_REj23b6PWnu7fQXvV4tfnkborWlGoJRpkOWWpbOdQdi6piwohDE1Asf8acHwejkGuF0/s320/RUPTURED%20cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m a survivor of two ruptured brain
aneurysms, twelve years apart. Yes, I’m very lucky! But most people don’t
realize only about half of those ruptures lead to death. The other half
survive! We may have some deficits, but they’re mostly inside, where you can’t
see them. Ever since my first rupture in 2005, I looked for a kids’ book where
the mother lives after a brain aneurysm rupture, instead of dying, as so many
of them do in fiction. Eventually, I realized I needed to write it myself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">About Your Writing Process</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. How long did it take you to write and
revise Ruptured before submitting it to your editor? What advice do you have
for other writers who have to learn to write a manuscript on a publishing
deadline?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ruptured, as my second book, was different
from the first, which took four and a half years to write before I ever got the
agent. My wonderful editor, Sally Morgridge at Holiday House, offered me a
contract this time based on a proposal and the first very rough 5000 words of a
verse novel which I had started in April 2021. It was so rough I’m embarrassed
that I ever showed it to her. But Sally saw something there, a spark of an
idea, that she thought could become a novel. I don’t recommend submitting a
rough, unfinished novel to anyone, but luckily, she gave me some pointers and
four months to finish the rough draft. I finished it in October 2021. Then we
spent all of 2022 revising. By the fourth draft (the one you’ll read), we had a
finished novel that is very different from that first terrible rough draft!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. It’s great to hear that your editor
worked with you for so long on your edits. Ruptured is in part drawn on your
own experiences surviving two aneurysms. How did you make this Claire’s story
and not yours?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Excellent question, Natalie! It was hard.
There were times I started to stray into an autobiographical tone, and Sally
would nudge me back. But by inventing the Sloan family in the first place, and
writing from Claire’s POV, it gave me the distance I needed to write the story
as a story, not a memoir. In real life, I don’t have a daughter. I have two
grown sons. And my own family is very different from Claire’s family.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. I love the first line of the blurb: <span style="background: white; color: #1e1915;">“Is it wrong to grieve for someone who
is still alive?” How did you come up with it? What’s your advice on creating
captivating sentences like this one in your blurb?</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I wish I
could give you advice for that, but that tagline was the very first sentence I
wrote. Originally that was how the story started, followed by a few lines like
“This is a story/about a girl/ and a mother/and a father.” Those lines were
quickly axed, but I liked the first line so much I asked Sally if we could use
it as a tagline. I think that line encapsulated all the pent-up feelings I had
held inside about my second rupture and how I learned from my family that I’d
been out of my mind for six months. I have no memory of Sept 29, 2017 to early
April 2018. If I was to try to give advice to writers about coming up with
captivating sentences, I’d say go with your gut and your emotions and let it
spill out into words.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Road
to Publication</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. You had
a literary agent who left agenting, and now you are unrepresented. How has it
been entering into a publishing contract and navigating all the business
aspects of your contract? What advice do you have for other writers wanting to
submit to publishers directly?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6Sg6oqeVuUSaZKmBwCiQY7LhsfpYbAAH9sasWHXQyhAnRqbVBQXomz0dZKBQ4Fhrd2gRnTr0USWbpiW2rKZKHnilu4p2Byt0lf1aTs4jmB8jq2cOdOf6a7HLFsvHIIDEsxRQX87FFj3MMGuYS668qOOKDvXTx-bFQV3iM10McPp8CiUTCMPR_5SG_zw/s450/Cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6Sg6oqeVuUSaZKmBwCiQY7LhsfpYbAAH9sasWHXQyhAnRqbVBQXomz0dZKBQ4Fhrd2gRnTr0USWbpiW2rKZKHnilu4p2Byt0lf1aTs4jmB8jq2cOdOf6a7HLFsvHIIDEsxRQX87FFj3MMGuYS668qOOKDvXTx-bFQV3iM10McPp8CiUTCMPR_5SG_zw/s320/Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was
quite different! Luckily, Holiday House is friendly to unagented authors. And
in my case, Sally offered me almost exactly the same contract that I’d had with
Everywhere Blue. Very little changed. It also happened just three weeks after
the publication of that first novel! I didn’t have much time to worry about it,
to be honest. I was floored that they would make an offer like that, and of
course thrilled. As for advice for other writers, do your research into the
publishers that accept unagented submissions. There are quite a few. </span><a href="https://bitsykemper.com/publishers/#more-3168"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bitsy Kemper has a
list</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">. But please be respectful: these publishers
get a lot of slush pile stuff. Try not to overwhelm them. And don’t nudge them
to ask if they’ve read it yet! Be patient.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. That’s
great advice and thanks for the link to Bitsy’s list. Share some tips you’ve
learned from getting published the first time that you used in working with
your editor on this book.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I knew from
working on Everywhere Blue that Sally is very good at what she does, and I
should probably just listen to her! However, I did occasionally disagree with
her during revisions this time. For instance, I insisted on one minor thing
about describing the rupture itself. When Mom grabs her head and moans about
the pain and the pressure, Sally wanted to delete the lines about pressure. I
had to insist that the pressure inside her head was just as important as the
pain. Any brain aneurysm rupture survivor will tell you that!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Promoting
Your Book</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. What
would you have done differently in terms of developing a social media platform
and marketing your debut book now that you’ve gone through the experience of
being a debut author? What advice on this do you have for authors who will
debut in the next year?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I already
had one social media platform and added Instagram before my debut. I believe I
did all that was possible, considering my health and my family obligations. A
good publisher does a lot of the marketing and publicity for MG books, even if
it’s things we don’t see because they’re aimed mostly at schools and libraries.
So I don’t know what I would have done differently, other than try to relax and
enjoy it more! And that would be my main advice to authors: you only get one
debut. Try to savor it. Another small piece of advice: Expect the unexpected!
Realize that </span><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">something</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> will inevitably go wrong, whether it’s a terrible
typo in your book, or an error on the copyright page, or people getting your
title wrong. Try to accept the things you can’t change and move on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. I really like your tip to relax and enjoy it. How
are your marketing plans for Ruptured different from for Everywhere Blue? Why
did you make these changes?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not
doing as many interviews/guest posts as I did for Everywhere Blue. This is more
because of my family situation (my husband has cancer, so I need to be here for
him, and not be spending all my time on marketing my own book). I’m also not
sure all those interviews I did for the first book led to many sales, anyway!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. I’m
sorry to hear about your husband, but I’m glad you’re keeping your focus on
him. What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I really
can’t talk about it because it’s not very far along. I have a character and a
setting but no real story problem yet! It’s living in my head at the moment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for
sharing all your advice, Joanne.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for
having me, Natalie!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can
find Joanne at </span><a href="http://www.joannerossmasslerfritz.com/"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.joannerossmasslerfritz.com</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">@JoanneRFritz
on X/Twitter <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">@joannerossfritz
on Instagram<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne’s publisher is
generously offering a hardback of Ruptured </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">for a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need
to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or
bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by December 31st. <b>If
your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to
enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Joanne on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book
giveaway is U.S.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge.
You can find the participating blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an interview
with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and my
IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 22nd I have an interview
with debut author </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Anthony
Nerada and a giveaway of his YA contemporary Skater Boy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday,
January 29th I have a guest post by author Shutta Crum</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wednesday,
January 31st I </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have an agent spotlight interview with Laura Gruska and a query critique
giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Holidays! I hope to see you on Monday, January 1!</span></p><br /><p></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-82097149666222404242023-12-16T09:00:00.004-05:002023-12-16T09:00:00.143-05:00Dashing December Giveaway Hop<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2f1ummNx-yYDYd5oZXQifUqaNb0xoLMM8sFZCNI45kzKXsG5xcBLcJYh932z0fyng5xBlPqqJ7np6UmumkNYm_TjDch354-eI4Oxw2zOUySozJCijXiQB2AkkR9We58SsbtO580UX8EpK3TyV9tDQuCf1Zhyphenhyphen21CzJhvCKMXfvKuloJFZHSQdGQ8G4Yc/s300/Dashing%20December%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2f1ummNx-yYDYd5oZXQifUqaNb0xoLMM8sFZCNI45kzKXsG5xcBLcJYh932z0fyng5xBlPqqJ7np6UmumkNYm_TjDch354-eI4Oxw2zOUySozJCijXiQB2AkkR9We58SsbtO580UX8EpK3TyV9tDQuCf1Zhyphenhyphen21CzJhvCKMXfvKuloJFZHSQdGQ8G4Yc/s1600/Dashing%20December%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Saturday Everyone! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I'm excited to participate in the Dashing December Giveaway
Hop hosted by </span><u style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I hope you’re all
going to take some time to relax and enjoy the holiday season, whatever
holidays you celebrate. It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the year.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Amazon
Gift Card Giveaway</span></u></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm offering a $10 gift
card to Amazon for this giveaway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by December
31st telling me how you plan to spend the gift card and your email address.<b> Be
sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This is
an International giveaway.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an interview
with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an interview
with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and my
IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to see you on Monday!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <!-- start InLinkz script -->
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="https://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=830474&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');
</script>
<!-- end InLinkz script --><p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-35149307625172640982023-12-11T06:00:00.001-05:002023-12-11T06:00:00.192-05:00 Literary Agent Interview: Ashley Reisinger Interview and Query Critique Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I’m thrilled to have agent Ashley
Reisinger here. She is an assistant literary agent at </span><a href="https://www.triadaus.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">TriadaUS
Literary Agency</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Hi
Ashley! Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About
Ashley:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZOg3vxYPjJAEUx8MAuLA4Y0W_9kH3bPO_f6K-REHRc1rPLemoudSip-ngw397YpQYGJdkIOfjsiGm4ikLOwCtGbpn_K4RHdJ63VTC_qR0BF0qrASwIUA67gEBaZXCSc_HcjsPn_KsI2_zJC89DePAif99IlNBnUIbdMwA1IN7yIy2ZTw87f4SrZVdM8/s2057/Profile%20Pic%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2057" data-original-width="1243" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZOg3vxYPjJAEUx8MAuLA4Y0W_9kH3bPO_f6K-REHRc1rPLemoudSip-ngw397YpQYGJdkIOfjsiGm4ikLOwCtGbpn_K4RHdJ63VTC_qR0BF0qrASwIUA67gEBaZXCSc_HcjsPn_KsI2_zJC89DePAif99IlNBnUIbdMwA1IN7yIy2ZTw87f4SrZVdM8/s320/Profile%20Pic%20(2).jpg" width="193" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I had been involved in the writing community for a number of years before
making the pivot to agenting. The more I learned about the industry, and about
what a literary agent is and does, the more interested I became. An internship
with Triada further solidified my desire to champion and represent authors, and
early 2023 I was officially brought on as an Assistant Literary Agent. I’ve
been building my client list in Adult, YA, and MG ever since, and am excited to
continue doing so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">About
the Agency:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">2.
Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Triada US represents
a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction from picture books through adult and
is committed to providing quality representation to our clients. Some Triada
authors include the NYT bestselling Chloe Gong, Olivie Blake, Hannah Nicole
Maehrer, Adiba Jaigirdar, and Sayantani DasGupta.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What
She’s Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">3.
What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do
you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I primarily
represent MG and YA. In MG, I am interested in contemporary narratives that
tackle meaningful topics, explore themes of belonging and friendship, and/or
touch on the awkwardness of first crushes. I am also interested in spooky MG,
fantasy, and magical-academy type stories. Across the board, I love a fun,
quirky, and/or snarky voice in MG.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In YA, I’m
particularly interested in romcoms with lots of heart and a strong hook. I can
also be enticed by the odd spec fic (I love horror and contemporary fantasy).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anything a little
bit genre-blendy, I’m always here for. Contemporary fantasy with a mystery or
puzzle involved? Romance with a speculative twist? Thriller with a sci-fi
element? Yes, yes, and yes!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to see in the genres you are interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I’m picky
about my spec fic tastes, I love</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">a good ghost story done in a fresh or
unexpected way. I also really enjoy when a horror concept is a little bit meta
or satirical. In addition, I adore a contemporary fantasy that skews a bit
spookier.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the flip side, I
love the pure escapism of a voicey romcom that makes me laugh out loud (and
maybe cringe a little with second-hand embarrassment too).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What
She <u>Isn’t</u> Looking For:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">5.
What types of submissions are you not interested in?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I try not to have
hard “no’s” about anything, because you never know what you’ll end up falling
in love with, but there are a few things I’ll say I tend not to be the right
fit for:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-high fantasy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-high sci-fi<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-historical fiction<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-dystopian<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-animal protagonists<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-“sick lit” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-stories that center
eating disorders, self-harm, or sexual assault<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-teen pregnancies <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">-horse stories <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Agent
Philosophy:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">6.
What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to
work with and the books you want to represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As a whole, I want
to work with authors on books that meaningfully reflect the world—particularly
underrepresented voices and experiences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Editorial
Agent:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">7.
Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re
working with your authors before submitting to editors?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes! I really enjoy the editorial side of
things, and tend to put manuscripts through revisions and edits before putting them
on submission. The scope of this, of course, will vary depending on the
project, but by and large, this is a stage of the process I like to be quite
involved in as I find revisions a little bit magic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Query
Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">8.
How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Authors can query me
via my email (</span><a href="mailto:ashley@triadaus.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">ashley@triadaus.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">) with the first 10
pages of their manuscript and the word “query” somewhere in the subject line. I
don’t require a synopsis and won’t typically read one if it’s provided.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My biggest thing is when submission guidelines
aren’t followed. While I don’t mind if people forget to send pages so follow up
with an email including them, or if a little bit more or less than ten pages is
included to complete a scene or thought, it makes it very difficult for me when
people don’t send pages at all, send the first three chapters instead of the
first ten pages, don’t include a query, don’t include the word “query” in the
subject line (so it gets misfiltered in my emails), etc. The submission doesn’t
have to be perfect, and if I can tell an author was sincerely trying to follow
guidelines but maybe just missed something, that doesn’t bother me at all. But
it often creates a lot more work for me when guidelines aren’t followed, so I
dislike it when this is done intentionally.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Response
Time:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">10.
What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a
manuscript?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I typically respond to a query within 2 weeks,
and to pages within 4-8 weeks where possible. There are times (when I’m really
swamped, have a ton of fulls I’ve requested, am getting a lot of offer of rep
notifications and have to shuffle things around, and/or am really mulling)
where this may be longer, but it’s the aim to respond before 8 weeks—particularly
while I’m still newer in the industry and have the ability to get back more
quickly.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Self-Published
and Small Press Authors:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">11. Are you open to representing authors who have
self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have
for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Definitely! In terms
of advice, I feel—the same as with other querying writers—it just comes down to
making sure your submission materials are on point. That said, I think it helps
to be clear what you’re looking for in an agent as you navigate the query
trenches if you have previously self-pubbed or published with a smaller press.
I.e.: are you shifting to trad publishing completely, do you want a hybrid
career, are you self-publishing a certain genre and looking at traditionally
publishing another, do you want to continue subbing to smaller presses and/or
continue to publish with the smaller press you’ve already worked with, etc.? Also,
personally, if the self-published or small-press works are published in a
wildly different genre than what’s being queried (particularly if it’s a genre
I don’t rep), I like to have some idea if the intention is to continue writing
in that genre for trad as that may help determine if I’m the right fit or not. It
doesn’t mean it’s an automatic “no” from me if the author wants to shift their
audience from indie to trad with a genre I don’t typically represent, but it’s
something I feel is worth knowing and potentially discussing further if I end
up loving the submission materials.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">12.
With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small
publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not sure if I’d
say it’s changing, per se—an agent’s role is still to represent their clients
well and advocate for their best interests, and while this may look a little
different for a hybrid author than a traditional author, or for a self-published
author looking to retain print rights but sell audio and foreign, etc., I think
the role of the agent is still largely unchanged. They’re a partner and an
advocate to help make decisions for your career, and they’re there to have the
connections and know the intricacies of the market they’re exploring for their
client.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Clients:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">13.
Who are some of the authors you represent?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I am just
starting to build my list, one of my wonderful clients includes Jackie Morera
whose debut PB, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abuelo’s Flower Shop, </i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">comes out in 2024!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Interviews
and Guest Posts:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">14.
Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think
would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Interviews:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2023/06/23/agent-of-the-month-ashley-reisinger/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2023/06/23/agent-of-the-month-ashley-reisinger/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.chapter-break.com/p/celebrate-every-success-and-send"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.chapter-break.com/p/celebrate-every-success-and-send</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Links
and Contact Info:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">15.
Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on
the Web.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Please query me at </span><a href="mailto:ashley@triadaus.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">ashley@triadaus.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> with the query and
first 10 pages. My wishlist and sub guidelines can be found on the Triada
website (triadaus.com/agents). I can also be found on Twitter (@awritesinger)
and Instagram (@a.writesinger).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Additional
Advice</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">16.
Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t
covered?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am the eternal
advocate for remembering to celebrate your successes. It’s so easy in this
industry to get caught up in the comparison game and to forget how incredible
everything you’re accomplishing is. Writing a book is huge, sending your first query
is a big step, putting your work out there is so brave, working to self-publish
is impressive, getting representation is exciting! Just because you’re maybe
not published (yet), or haven’t made the NYT (yet), or aren’t hitting the same
lists as those in your community (yet), doesn’t make what you’ve accomplished
any less remarkable. Mark milestones, celebrate each step, and remember to be
proud of yourself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice, Ashley.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ashley is generously offering a query critique to one lucky
winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget,
email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through December
31st. </span><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "inherit", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If your email is not on your Google
Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If
you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the
comments.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on
Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you
an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have any experience with this agent? See something that
needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at </span><a href="mailto:natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on
agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything
you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is
subject to change.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews,
Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m
participating in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an
interview with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an
interview with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hope to see you on Saturday!</span></p><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></i><p></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-68096497824038535152023-12-07T00:00:00.003-05:002023-12-07T00:00:00.146-05:00Let It Snow Giveaway Hop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6coEq3tmi5e1WG9QVwTHHsin0atZlxfg113RhJ9cvjFt7Ol_tknf9SOKdFNrUXY82n-eLheIJkSGG6UUiPDC_wt0j16ENSAPAPhe74zTXkyxvn9vHIIEDWHGwZPEolCb-2xfWnVoGZfcZq-yf843EFAepeMmwswSU36B223wQ57LxWDsBrvCKsXML89E/s700/DecemberLetItSnowGiveawayHop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6coEq3tmi5e1WG9QVwTHHsin0atZlxfg113RhJ9cvjFt7Ol_tknf9SOKdFNrUXY82n-eLheIJkSGG6UUiPDC_wt0j16ENSAPAPhe74zTXkyxvn9vHIIEDWHGwZPEolCb-2xfWnVoGZfcZq-yf843EFAepeMmwswSU36B223wQ57LxWDsBrvCKsXML89E/s320/DecemberLetItSnowGiveawayHop.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Thursday Everyone!<span style="color: black;"> Today I'm thrilled to be participating in the Let it Snow Giveaway
Hop hosted by </span></span><a href="https://themommyisland.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Mommy
Island </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">and </span><a href="https://thekidsdidit.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Kids Did It</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I
hope you’re having a good December and are excited about the holidays. I’m
looking forward to having a good holiday with my family. I’m grateful we get to
spend it together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on
Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to
reading. If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by December
28th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 11th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Ashley Reisinger and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m participating
in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an interview
with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an interview
with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and my
IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to see you on Monday!</span></p>And here are all the blogs participating in this blog hop:<p></p><div><br /></div><!-- start InLinkz script -->
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Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-6914164941530860402023-12-06T05:00:00.019-05:002023-12-06T05:00:00.150-05:00How Your Writing Community Fertilizes Your Writing by Dana VanderLugt and Enemies in the Orchard Giveaway and IWSG Post<p><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m
excited to have debut author Dana VanderLugt to share about her MG historical
novel in verse, Enemies in the Orchard. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
sounds like a fascinating WWII story and I’m excited to read it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s
a blurb from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137999953-enemies-in-the-orchard?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7JivUAgnx3&rank=1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3VZfhz5Se-Ix56R-fuIxrk4tM0BmA8BxcF-5DuPTeF0cQsPr6nIVuz0q-dKEpkvI6DM0eJExr0ySMtt3hgGtdMKaMdadiVc9KEsVIVisJMBZWiwHuTLN3kF_Dr369JcwdQ4mTAD09a8ubn3vjH-g4jVupOe06WMHwpvfGvhy4hWSrTmVQ7rFnVvdRpY/s3072/IMG_6956.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3VZfhz5Se-Ix56R-fuIxrk4tM0BmA8BxcF-5DuPTeF0cQsPr6nIVuz0q-dKEpkvI6DM0eJExr0ySMtt3hgGtdMKaMdadiVc9KEsVIVisJMBZWiwHuTLN3kF_Dr369JcwdQ4mTAD09a8ubn3vjH-g4jVupOe06WMHwpvfGvhy4hWSrTmVQ7rFnVvdRpY/s320/IMG_6956.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Set
against the backdrop of WWII, this achingly beautiful middle grade novel in
verse based on American history presents the dual perspectives of Claire, a
Midwestern girl who longs for college even as she worries for her soldier
brother, and Karl, a German POW who’s processing the war as he works on
Claire’s family farm. This poignant and moving story of an unlikely connection
will stay with readers long after the final page.</span></strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">It’s October 1944, and while Claire’s older brother, Danny,
is off fighting in World War II, her dad hires a group of German POWs to help
with the apple harvest on their farm. Claire wants nothing to do with the
enemies in the orchard, until she begins to notice soft-spoken, hardworking
Karl. Could she really have something in common with a German soldier?</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Karl, meanwhile, grapples with his role in the war as he
realizes how many lies Hitler’s regime has spread. But his encounters with
Claire—the serious girl with gentle eyes—give him hope that he can change and
become the person he wants to be.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Inspired by the little-known history of POW labor camps in
the United States, this lyrical verse novel is told in alternating first-person
poems by two young people on opposite sides of the war. Against a vivid
backdrop of home front tensions and daily life, intimate entries reveal
Claire’s and Karl's hopes and struggles, and their growing attraction to each
other even as the war rages on. What are their chances of connection, of
redemption, of peace?</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYB5nOK7wwAJMFgAqDRhJ56Fu2u5BXV_Cy6Sm6acmw6q40OLBLLikLlfSlKTMdZ-NUY9rfpRX2BCm8XTCbKbT9aS0FSd6KeR5uMwB1jLoS79TR_nSt6sxgy8VpI5cfx6j2jeZ3-y2_IwfoeQbuZgNb1JENLeWxJuLRslyZtgFa2UEZJ6R3N7lySLIBh3M/s200/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="200" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYB5nOK7wwAJMFgAqDRhJ56Fu2u5BXV_Cy6Sm6acmw6q40OLBLLikLlfSlKTMdZ-NUY9rfpRX2BCm8XTCbKbT9aS0FSd6KeR5uMwB1jLoS79TR_nSt6sxgy8VpI5cfx6j2jeZ3-y2_IwfoeQbuZgNb1JENLeWxJuLRslyZtgFa2UEZJ6R3N7lySLIBh3M/w200-h197/Insecure%20Writers%20Support%20Group%20Badge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before I get to Mackenzie’s guest post, I have
my IWSG post.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Posting: The first
Wednesday is officially </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insecure Writer's Support Group </span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without
fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can
offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all
kinds!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white; border: none; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The awesome co-hosts this month are: </span><b><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #191919;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><a href="http://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;">C. Lee McKenzie,</span></a> <a href="http://www.jqrose.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;">JQ Rose,</span></a> <a href="http://jenniferlanebooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Jennifer Lane,</span></a> </span><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">and</span><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;"> </span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><a href="https://worddreams.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="background: white; color: #4f81bd; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Jacqui Murray!</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #4f81bd; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Optional Question</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">: <b>Book
reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book reviews do you review for
the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your
reading experience, or do you critique the author?</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I write reviews to support authors
but write them for readers. I only review books I like because I don’t want to
be unsupportive of authors. I don’t have time to write lengthy reviews. I only
write a few sentences highlighting what I liked about the book. Sometimes I
just rate them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have good news to share. In November, I reached 10 million page views. I'm really happy that so many followers are visiting Literary Rambles even if fewer people are stopping by and commenting on blog posts. I'm very grateful that so many people hopefully find Literary Rambles a helpful resource in their writing journey and to discover and support authors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Follower News</span></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwn5fDTAqhZ-dkKri4BP94roEh55f0YLI-Pbrt1eG8sM8mXFK0B7u3nW8iGM_eQgHZ1XT5mbncbsFVTCRy1oRJvpB4kJ9dEjhdRSOkmx5dyMi13KojVm-E3AiA8-A9fQYxPKjNU69BSuOn-z4S2yU0XDni3rgAIz4VQMN2LZ5i1_OBVFAQ4hR42YO-08/s600/Rattlesnake.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwn5fDTAqhZ-dkKri4BP94roEh55f0YLI-Pbrt1eG8sM8mXFK0B7u3nW8iGM_eQgHZ1XT5mbncbsFVTCRy1oRJvpB4kJ9dEjhdRSOkmx5dyMi13KojVm-E3AiA8-A9fQYxPKjNU69BSuOn-z4S2yU0XDni3rgAIz4VQMN2LZ5i1_OBVFAQ4hR42YO-08/w200-h117/Rattlesnake.png" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0in;">I’m including Follower News in my IWSG post today. C. Lee
McKenzie has a new YA release, Rattlesnake. Here’s a blurb: The desert town of
Rattlesnake isn’t a destination. It’s a last resort. When Jonah's sure nothing
can become worse, he discovers Catherine who’s been dead for over a hundred
year. Now, she needs his help. And here are a few links: <a href="https://cleemckenziebooks.com/">Website</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rattlesnake-C-Lee-McKenzie-ebook/dp/B0CNJLNKHV/ref=sr_1_1">Amazon</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
here’s Dana!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How
Your Writing Community Fertilizes Your Writing</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
2018, I made the leap and began a low-residency writing program. During my
first weekend of my first residency, I remember sitting around a table to
introduce myself to other new students. We were asked to share a bit about our
backgrounds and what had brought us there. Ranging from 20-something to
70-something, we had a diverse set of stories, experiences, and goals. But the
one unifying characteristic was that each of us was committed to taking our
writing lives more seriously. One person made a joke that she was willing to
pay a lot of money to make someone do what she sometimes wanted to do and
sometimes really wanted to avoid: write.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
understood this. I was a middle-school teacher and mom to three kids ages 12
and under. Part of the reason I entered a writing program was for its
accountability. I deeply desired to write a book, but I knew that was less
likely to happen under conditions that were self-imposed and based solely on my
own willpower. I knew the burden of deadlines, something that many people are
glad to leave behind when they finish school, were just what I needed again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
completed a manuscript while in my MFA program, which became my novel, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel
in Verse</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, that was published this fall. The enormous gift of mentorship and
accountability that allowed me to make my writing a priority is not something I
take for granted. And while I learned much in my MFA program about craft and
technique, perhaps the bigger gift I was given was the relationships that
apprenticed me in how to make writing a life rhythm. While the act of writing
is often a solitary practice, words blossom and grow with the fertilizer of a
community who provides encouragement, accountability, and necessary nudging.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxXpWcUaijPrlkLkFaC1V8ct6jtv0NIDOPZcOM9TwkPL7ONLUL5G-M_IdHkN7r1gKo7OJ8x4h3hqhVgpTnHyi5k4YPZHWeo15HILIxB0b8HeCzXOpXQBrmPRupopksWJ0O5OaZSFFfqAzj_cppgcAgqq8rTSOlL4Tz8Xr7qrjA1uYajfPMWdE2Jf7XWE/s2513/Enemies%20in%20the%20Orchard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2513" data-original-width="1651" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxXpWcUaijPrlkLkFaC1V8ct6jtv0NIDOPZcOM9TwkPL7ONLUL5G-M_IdHkN7r1gKo7OJ8x4h3hqhVgpTnHyi5k4YPZHWeo15HILIxB0b8HeCzXOpXQBrmPRupopksWJ0O5OaZSFFfqAzj_cppgcAgqq8rTSOlL4Tz8Xr7qrjA1uYajfPMWdE2Jf7XWE/s320/Enemies%20in%20the%20Orchard.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have a friend who started as a classmate—we now call each other writing
soulmates—who meets me at my computer, via email, every morning. Because of the
pandemic, we spent only two residencies together in person. We haven’t seen
each other in person for more than four years, and yet we’ve walked together
through early drafts, revisions, rejections, and the ups and downs of
publishing. We also have journeyed through two cancer diagnoses, job changes,
grief, and joy. We applaud each other’s messy drafts, are overly dramatic about
the injustices of our setbacks, and exuberantly joyful at each other’s
successes. She has earned the right to give me advice and to nag me when I’m
procrastinating.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students
often ask me for writing advice, and I tell them to find others who like to
write and share their work. But I know this is not simple. Pursuing
relationships with other writers, joining writing groups, and being vulnerable
enough to show up for workshops is not easy. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finding just the right partner whose life and writing
style fits well enough to provide a symbiotic relationship involves equal parts
coincidence and grace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a
Creative Life</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, Dani Shapiro writes about having a tribe. “I’ve never really
understood competition and envy among writers,” she says. “We are competing
with ourselves—not each other…We realize that we are part of the same species
and that we need one another to survive. Though we write our books alone,
ultimately everything we do involves some collaboration. Every good book you’ll
ever read has the thumbprints of other writers all over it.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I stand in front of audiences to
talk about my process or read excerpts, I’m aware of all the thumbprints on my
work. I see the purple pen of my mentor who prodded me to delete every
unnecessary word. I see the exclamation-mark laded email of my writing soulmate
after I worked up the confidence to write a scene I was avoiding. I see the
pages and pages of research provided by my go-to historian. I feel the prodding
of my editor whose wise questions pushed me just a bit further with character
development. And I remember my dad’s voice, whose family stories planted the
novel’s earliest seeds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
call my school presentations “From Seed to Story,” and talk to students about
the way a story idea is like an apple seed that is planted, which given time,
attention, and pruning, can eventually grow into a tree that produces a
harvest.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
dad, the apple farmer, uses fertilizer. He tells people that if he didn’t, they
wouldn’t want to eat, or even look at, the apples he’d produce. My community,
all those whose thumbprints I see all over my new novel, are my fertilizers.
Without them, there would be no harvest.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks
for sharing your advice, Dana. You can find Dana at:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dana’s
website: </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://danavanderlugt.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">https://danavanderlugt.com/</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Instagram:
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/danavanderlugt/"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">https://www.instagram.com/danavanderlugt/</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Facebook:
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/danavanderlugtwriter"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">https://www.facebook.com/danavanderlugtwriter</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Twitter:
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/danavanderlugt"><span style="color: #1155cc; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">https://twitter.com/danavanderlugt</span></a></span><u><span lang="EN" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dana is generously
offering a hardback of Enemies in the Orchard </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">for a giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by December
16th. <b>If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the
comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this
contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Dana on
her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra
entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway
is U.S. and Canada.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge.
You can find the participating blogs on his </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://gpattridge.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Upcoming Interviews,
Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tomorrow I'm participating in the Let It Snow Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 11th I have an
agent spotlight interview with Ashley Reisinger and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m
participating in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an
interview with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an
interview with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
and my IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hope to see you on Monday!</span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-65586728434122722232023-12-01T09:00:00.015-05:002023-12-01T09:00:00.141-05:00Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6XJJPoy0f1SsdmaaTvDD45QKRay6PlkfIkIEfZNWdwHbA3DqOK7lt5yu4SLxoK63CZLGQTv1E-sXQI_aX7r_xBXE8nIsMjg7DL5d0uPVh8y9I4yxt1tPH7ToHmEOuakX-cPSp9deeqqGtStV8hhSPRbnZjxE3XPET64Y_DVIDZjxcxGizmHwt5yM9ig/s300/December%20Holly%20Jolly%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6XJJPoy0f1SsdmaaTvDD45QKRay6PlkfIkIEfZNWdwHbA3DqOK7lt5yu4SLxoK63CZLGQTv1E-sXQI_aX7r_xBXE8nIsMjg7DL5d0uPVh8y9I4yxt1tPH7ToHmEOuakX-cPSp9deeqqGtStV8hhSPRbnZjxE3XPET64Y_DVIDZjxcxGizmHwt5yM9ig/s1600/December%20Holly%20Jolly%20Giveaway%20Hop.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Friday Everyone! <span style="color: black;">Today I'm excited to participate in the Holly Jolly Giveaway
Hop hosted by </span><u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="color: black;">. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving and have lots to be thankful for. I
had a great Thanksgiving, and I’m grateful for so much this year. And I’m
getting holiday shopping, which is always fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">And I have good news to share. In November, I reached 10 million page views. I'm really happy that so many followers are visiting Literary Rambles even if fewer people are stopping by and commenting on blog posts. I'm very grateful that so many people hopefully find Literary Rambles a helpful resource in their writing journey and to discover and support authors.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">I’ve got a lot of exciting
newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can
also choose another book in the series by these authors. You can find
descriptions of these books on <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1746050382328975047/1170354533324894441">Goodreads.</a> Here are your choices:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTY97eOL8hRlHz628cB7f2S3XDbLwn3jm5L1TkwC_x9A3RiKINy0LyAVVMgovzY5IYIxeCZi1JG1LtOWdo6XUOQ12kn7jHfDoOudR8k2INpzQ-bybubTR4AR-8yaF98RGnZv3uv06OWc7lG_OSUL_sknzKDKTYBWqMcIzJAs9Z9pL4NRu3ftIwgakmzU/s500/Enimies%20in%20the%20Orchard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTY97eOL8hRlHz628cB7f2S3XDbLwn3jm5L1TkwC_x9A3RiKINy0LyAVVMgovzY5IYIxeCZi1JG1LtOWdo6XUOQ12kn7jHfDoOudR8k2INpzQ-bybubTR4AR-8yaF98RGnZv3uv06OWc7lG_OSUL_sknzKDKTYBWqMcIzJAs9Z9pL4NRu3ftIwgakmzU/w132-h200/Enimies%20in%20the%20Orchard.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNHKLNYvZ3O8_hemeSXodOBQSHsZGDew2TF6AHjxUAeJYVJFySvAmuUdD26tYLaHEowhof3gg3tKHrb95MYTBA9YDXnZFBb2x4vYO2OeEQPlFMwOnw_adhY1TbnrrnnvaORPyojSsUQdORCiaRSSjVjIEtKbXZ5okGMnNoJ5EU_wUdgh-BZ8oKN0WlQE/s320/Make%20Me%20a%20Liar.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; 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font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a3D1ge88Nmsd7vhK0q2kVvLlrMO2DSaUXMCdkkAg7RGRb2KE0T627EMcKdNvVjTQB2VsoAMcoLhxKMtPqFLpsmvscGJPo7dJhAk6Ikh8_LZJrtDGBTpQPqG_pXVANvfbhYfNJKLkSgcRak-cBiEXFyqI0lAFi763ZT6-Hp3i_94EB0I-eLq7Jq6yDy0/s320/Caught%20in%20a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a3D1ge88Nmsd7vhK0q2kVvLlrMO2DSaUXMCdkkAg7RGRb2KE0T627EMcKdNvVjTQB2VsoAMcoLhxKMtPqFLpsmvscGJPo7dJhAk6Ikh8_LZJrtDGBTpQPqG_pXVANvfbhYfNJKLkSgcRak-cBiEXFyqI0lAFi763ZT6-Hp3i_94EB0I-eLq7Jq6yDy0/w133-h200/Caught%20in%20a.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpbVfjC5GekJsn8hNWRKJNecBQxmZpPUtSzuOSo0k71ruu9dnUyoQOtgKWu0dnpLc231A8Wx3wspgsebenKlLA5REcXzoCGyOCkupFgLEPZUcuX5c_ydXXD2VcdsNnFe9yJ-etQ-vMJ3QVAUZkpnrBT7qAiCXuuH2djLj37oT_CfhJMOAGXT4FtCNCzc/s320/Win%20Lose.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpbVfjC5GekJsn8hNWRKJNecBQxmZpPUtSzuOSo0k71ruu9dnUyoQOtgKWu0dnpLc231A8Wx3wspgsebenKlLA5REcXzoCGyOCkupFgLEPZUcuX5c_ydXXD2VcdsNnFe9yJ-etQ-vMJ3QVAUZkpnrBT7qAiCXuuH2djLj37oT_CfhJMOAGXT4FtCNCzc/w133-h200/Win%20Lose.jpg" width="133" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1lxc5WdZRROsLFG6j3IM8MWZBLKqOr5s0_-ub440VCuzgsO3vwLtN22rejfSJtYJjd99FIirX7ue-74_QQiPyQ2EM3tarlZy6rQBvVyaZiZ7605gPGaX1fk9oswXSuxzIM5cHoBAewf5ctwlRYo6hs6tdtQTGyhMBQBMNYVMniSTg_BDfnszkXqJOiU/w138-h200/Facing%20the%20enemy.jpg" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwftKPusYRHhECljA1GSLmOif-2ZYZws_1HMv6pZXHyzJFLX8hT4FzdMKZ6YpiHoTrJSn9ppWOrHG-UW_VKZB9AkLIcDmQhSwic8bt8-Q50IUNykAL8bdLEMlXzEckMFJn4HRWpoHXgME2KqBLmCsKav2DZ-Dx449d1NIHCIyN1XPlTTNV-l8kKkS3Vrg/s320/1RadioSilence-hc-c-1356x2048.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwftKPusYRHhECljA1GSLmOif-2ZYZws_1HMv6pZXHyzJFLX8hT4FzdMKZ6YpiHoTrJSn9ppWOrHG-UW_VKZB9AkLIcDmQhSwic8bt8-Q50IUNykAL8bdLEMlXzEckMFJn4HRWpoHXgME2KqBLmCsKav2DZ-Dx449d1NIHCIyN1XPlTTNV-l8kKkS3Vrg/w133-h200/1RadioSilence-hc-c-1356x2048.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh-loz3Hl8BWa5LIWu5T040ENX6QlLWplmOZAPFsRNFpxcCV1YF1_nbFjiuow1XvAKbYTVXTmLaB6SHkptoLLFfeONWJ4re8_QAfoeI5l2BxJRzYb_IRIAUjS6Vfc4epDgnUKJ6z__iIEYJVQgKRdo5XnOAuTkRTECwn-GODltFyVbn3iec-fUOF6dQQ/s320/Seven%20Minutes%20in.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh-loz3Hl8BWa5LIWu5T040ENX6QlLWplmOZAPFsRNFpxcCV1YF1_nbFjiuow1XvAKbYTVXTmLaB6SHkptoLLFfeONWJ4re8_QAfoeI5l2BxJRzYb_IRIAUjS6Vfc4epDgnUKJ6z__iIEYJVQgKRdo5XnOAuTkRTECwn-GODltFyVbn3iec-fUOF6dQQ/w133-h200/Seven%20Minutes%20in.jpg" width="133" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOhg7ifm0z-Aqir9rf3mY2tOn0Kjq4z2XLtgUQxm3Xkstz1uziImv3cLjQJ4R0bzX4wwlWTgGprsuRCybAspqfH6Nye_dyfKCZkaVPwyrjIS9X9sMxorx9-KVYWa-BM72Ws_vjVMGh_yu9qPR7CHVO9qOzNTcl3BygFUiTkbGy1m7ImMbBtIM876nAWo/w132-h200/The%20Hunting%20Moon.jpg" /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCvJRxOT2N-43oJe1KSANH9fOtrLSsGq6cSq1fK81HZZZtwAiPAkPFrXmm9dsX3srePCvLStjoprqYUzgYmvscToHtMU2EblkoYT74qqWIWonev9eOPuhGhdOSHiItdoJmr93rCMusjVj8-Zg6Ka2xznvdqpW_mm5oYnnpHu25KZq4BbixsUr8WFNEwc/s400/Apartment%20House.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="305" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCvJRxOT2N-43oJe1KSANH9fOtrLSsGq6cSq1fK81HZZZtwAiPAkPFrXmm9dsX3srePCvLStjoprqYUzgYmvscToHtMU2EblkoYT74qqWIWonev9eOPuhGhdOSHiItdoJmr93rCMusjVj8-Zg6Ka2xznvdqpW_mm5oYnnpHu25KZq4BbixsUr8WFNEwc/w153-h200/Apartment%20House.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuc42LwWhBNuxKy21TzWVfJpPntsGQHKTkArQ8v7A3NrknKCQeaaYwikfjLiGHa7oOlwBBfmY21Kg7JJ95j_SrvrfQ4852mMCtEosYzw_h2UxsyzTsFBGIWDhkSg0p3BxvHAgzTrMAeXYAhVQO6AJG5DmnycHtz_BaQViXU6unEpAAmGs_NM8xtm6IWk/w132-h200/No%20Place%20Like.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_XZPlz42S1fp_oYai91jcwL2FdmQn1UbkxAmr_fcJEfmrc3gpoKc-TzTsYV4ep6AJ_XUfipBjldBUGDLmKttzZvG0GySUZmFu9G2VzpdKBBbfp9Iz4WSqnFhWTJ759gF-ruiqEPOMVRGQyaFY-kEmNfEt3LkJDeJohC9gDdYGofrDC9xuWC9KKgf0EQ/s500/Night%20Raven.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_XZPlz42S1fp_oYai91jcwL2FdmQn1UbkxAmr_fcJEfmrc3gpoKc-TzTsYV4ep6AJ_XUfipBjldBUGDLmKttzZvG0GySUZmFu9G2VzpdKBBbfp9Iz4WSqnFhWTJ759gF-ruiqEPOMVRGQyaFY-kEmNfEt3LkJDeJohC9gDdYGofrDC9xuWC9KKgf0EQ/w129-h200/Night%20Raven.jpg" width="129" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2yjhFyVf0kVWjDLb1m_dTm2ut_PDsBHac8yslf1yGZtIGn_liBMRP0HJo7V7i_EGrovXAomw43QgDAl9gi8OnWAMfh61F6OtgAuhTrjh2Ehhi61nVch48PJ-aIGn8WhJRtbaicTd5gF9Yo1d-FuZjNOsVX-uyWgetnRdcHARd9FJO1hFmkWBNqRyBF4/s200/hidden%20truths.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2yjhFyVf0kVWjDLb1m_dTm2ut_PDsBHac8yslf1yGZtIGn_liBMRP0HJo7V7i_EGrovXAomw43QgDAl9gi8OnWAMfh61F6OtgAuhTrjh2Ehhi61nVch48PJ-aIGn8WhJRtbaicTd5gF9Yo1d-FuZjNOsVX-uyWgetnRdcHARd9FJO1hFmkWBNqRyBF4/s1600/hidden%20truths.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0oifl74hyphenhyphenYAlVyLZvZtwQuQVoHr3WE9cZ6i7__8p-lkEi2FfP6UI4H5yl0cmGezUGU9WxSAfk0v0oksx5hlCcVdS-XH0mVfNyHnVzGIHl1juTb8vFwHYLn6chT5mcFk72R7wxBisIn8eM9J_Y6oYgq7Fck8gY3QlyhDh2L4rT8pbuAiq10S5AziWtcs/s200/Top%20Story.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0oifl74hyphenhyphenYAlVyLZvZtwQuQVoHr3WE9cZ6i7__8p-lkEi2FfP6UI4H5yl0cmGezUGU9WxSAfk0v0oksx5hlCcVdS-XH0mVfNyHnVzGIHl1juTb8vFwHYLn6chT5mcFk72R7wxBisIn8eM9J_Y6oYgq7Fck8gY3QlyhDh2L4rT8pbuAiq10S5AziWtcs/s1600/Top%20Story.png" width="132" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UtQBO1k8VT0BoZ8RtLcOd4Nt8wrpYJ81i_6adelcbe3-uEZYNj729l3X6PBQSddZIRNgqrOF1bUJU4KStfUv3iMoNw_OaZOWJ5dJe5qOA5zvJvRt7PvHU2kbC9Hc4GH7xmoI22GNNkIE8PgFSwzblhgtN2oVq6uVdqTJQUSfvah6qXTiBeZRLj4McxM/w133-h200/Tagging%20Freedom.jpg" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubgNTOGThdggoXUummX4MAOqR9tLv8eJaFwCNZ4bRy1hRWhlwHu71lZct8eBbH7sneJVwkhCDHvP9Kqd6uctgDJ-LGMEnQRDvgTKyZ8W9EE37MvToYkG31tIwlna0g8vAJgpv6sQuiHnCGmctxE6VATUZSO8c_2HbLKNKOsoT2dq2ZOzrtCaTq-5LGlg/s1000/Painters%20Butterfly.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="647" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubgNTOGThdggoXUummX4MAOqR9tLv8eJaFwCNZ4bRy1hRWhlwHu71lZct8eBbH7sneJVwkhCDHvP9Kqd6uctgDJ-LGMEnQRDvgTKyZ8W9EE37MvToYkG31tIwlna0g8vAJgpv6sQuiHnCGmctxE6VATUZSO8c_2HbLKNKOsoT2dq2ZOzrtCaTq-5LGlg/w129-h200/Painters%20Butterfly.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you haven't found a book
you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcN9O174Y8o1MuubCRXR6aQis6haMp63HZyr-Bpnhc5MNuR1bHXzHdgmtbtfIf8igCD8ujiqq6E6aG5QrjfmRBgxhwTTN887gO6W4DogMXcZQxQAx_tvzPJPSZkS3t2iO51Q0QNaXoLigFdDerRoDpJ55-6eJTA05zQhYfcK0iLUqtMQKkEQCNJSCg8k/s80/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="80" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcN9O174Y8o1MuubCRXR6aQis6haMp63HZyr-Bpnhc5MNuR1bHXzHdgmtbtfIf8igCD8ujiqq6E6aG5QrjfmRBgxhwTTN887gO6W4DogMXcZQxQAx_tvzPJPSZkS3t2iO51Q0QNaXoLigFdDerRoDpJ55-6eJTA05zQhYfcK0iLUqtMQKkEQCNJSCg8k/w200-h150/amazon%20gift%20card.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></p>To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via
the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a
comment by December 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which
one, or the Amazon gift card and your email address.</span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Be sure to include your email address</b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other
social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments
and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or
older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card
giveaway is International.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, December 6th I have a guest
post by debut author Dana VanderLugt and a giveaway of her MG historical
Enemies in the Orchard</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday, December 7th I’m participating
in the Let It Snow Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 11th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Ashley Reisinger and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m participating in
the Dashing December Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an interview
with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to see you on Wednesday!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><em style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.</em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<!--end InLinkz script-->Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-78882586204690148202023-11-20T06:00:00.002-05:002023-11-20T13:36:38.263-05:00Author Interview: Natalie Richards and 15 Secrets to Survival Giveaway <p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited
to have author Natalie Richards here to share about her MG thriller 15 Secrets
to Survival. Natalie is a NY Times Bestselling Author and writes YA thrillers
as well. I’m excited to read her first MG thriller and to try one of her YA
books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here’s a blurb about 15 Secrets to
Survival from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112974918-15-secrets-to-survival?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=MvJ9FUczIb&rank=2"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0PBKBpGwVTzURAnromGpHaH9ZnjyXppuS6nIOZV893scMZpXM6ZPuMrglpErgCXn52Uy4tiegjjH5Pj_GZ6Oo67TXKzygOsXXVL-U9Z_vmyRmUQwiP9f1HlvzWJper3-CDK-PTJVxgqm8AsTT2O9dLkNQL7HcZfAwpk9glwbvRzA_YRThYzBBgsbgYk/s999/Headshot.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="786" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0PBKBpGwVTzURAnromGpHaH9ZnjyXppuS6nIOZV893scMZpXM6ZPuMrglpErgCXn52Uy4tiegjjH5Pj_GZ6Oo67TXKzygOsXXVL-U9Z_vmyRmUQwiP9f1HlvzWJper3-CDK-PTJVxgqm8AsTT2O9dLkNQL7HcZfAwpk9glwbvRzA_YRThYzBBgsbgYk/s320/Headshot.jpeg" width="252" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">From
the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Five Total
Strangers </i>comes a thriller about a group of four classmates forced to
navigate the wilderness for a school project with nothing but the pages of a
survival handbook--and each other--before the sun goes down..</span></b><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and
Emerson are forced to go to the middle of nowhere for a school project, they
think things can't get much worse. Why on earth do they need to learn how to
survive in the wilderness by an eccentric instructor?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">But what starts off as a weekend of team
building turns dangerous when their instructor goes missing and they are left
with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook to complete a series of
challenges.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">They will soon discover the woods around them
have unexpected surprises that might go beyond the obstacles their teacher set
out for them...but will they find they can work together to find their teacher?</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="background: white;">A recommended choice for classroom
discussions and educators looking for survival books for kids.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi Natalie!
Thanks so much for joining us.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #7030a0; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you
for having me!</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tell us about
yourself and how you became a writer.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As an only (and often lonely!) child, I’d
make up elaborate stories while playing on my own. These stories could feel so
real and true that it was hard not to get swept away. Want a silly example?
There was a small hole in my tiny front yard, a remnant from a shrub removal
operation. I was utterly convinced that this hole was actually the entrance to
a sprawling cave system beneath my neighborhood. I spent hours on my knees with
my arm shoved in as far as I could reach, trying to find the larger cave that was
surely down there. It’s a miracle nothing I didn’t find something in that hole
that decided to chomp off a finger or two. But as silly as it is, that might be
the very first hint that I’d spend my whole life dreaming up stories. And once
I discovered books and the endless stories they contained? Well, the rest is
history.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. I was lonely too and made up stories in
my head. Where did you get the idea for 15 Secrets to Survival?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My parents were divorced when I was very
young and my dad would often take me hiking when I was staying with him. True
to my front yard cave system story above, I would often wander along those
hikes dreaming up scenarios where my dad had to rush off for one reason or
another and I’d be forced to find my way alone in the wilderness. Between my
imagination running wild and my love for books like Call of the Wild, I knew
I’d love to write an adventure story one day. But often adventure stories
follow the adventures of one person, and I wanted to see the dynamic of a group
of kids trying to figure it out together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Writing Process</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. This is your first middle grade
thriller. What made you decide to write a middle grade story and how was it
different than writing a YA thriller?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My YA thrillers are often dark and
frightening, and while you can usually spot a funny character somewhere in
anything I write, it’s difficult to explore the sillier side of life in YA
thrillers. Now, anyone who knows me will tell you, I definitely lean toward </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">silly
and ridiculous</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> as a person, so I’ve dreamed for a long time of writing
something that was both a little bit scary and a lot of fun too. And since I
love reading and talking about MG books, it felt like a really natural fit. And
guess what? It was! I’ve never had more fun writing a book.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. What is your plotting process like? Has
it changed since you published your first book, Six Months Later in 2013?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Er….no? Ha! I wish I was good at plotting,
but I have a secret. Lean in close. (*whisper voice* If I do too much planning,
I grow bored and disinterested in writing it *end whisper voice*). Truly, one
of the great joys of writing for me is figuring out how on earth everything
will turn out. So most of my plotting happens after the story is written when
I’m trying to edit my often unwieldy and misshapen first draft into a really
good book.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. It’s reassuring to know that we don’t
have to totally plot out a thriller. Share about how you created the main
characters in this story—Baxter, Abigail, Turner, and Emerson. What tips do you
have on how to make each character unique?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV_FrbQYlJtfYyv8_dys2cYosgk45zZstalnFHLBzDuDIZa9Df1yEq2NNKsDPuxp4dgdunUFKxY8Kta5t_3UmHg2reG1LRR-jpZMGO-o4VrDZPOOKO0RoJViaw6b5HDhtwczeTBwKCmXdktdEqPAk3-_2hV7jxSb4cDTRRt4adctWUsHQGJue_5uSmBI/s2550/15%20Secrets.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV_FrbQYlJtfYyv8_dys2cYosgk45zZstalnFHLBzDuDIZa9Df1yEq2NNKsDPuxp4dgdunUFKxY8Kta5t_3UmHg2reG1LRR-jpZMGO-o4VrDZPOOKO0RoJViaw6b5HDhtwczeTBwKCmXdktdEqPAk3-_2hV7jxSb4cDTRRt4adctWUsHQGJue_5uSmBI/s320/15%20Secrets.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">A few tips on characters for fellow
writers or folks who might like to write one day! Making characters unique can
be tricky because as a writer you have a distinctive voice that bleeds onto
every character. And the story itself will also impact character choices and
conversations. The trick is to get to know each character independently. Think
about the way they talk, what they like, what annoys them, and what makes them
sad. Often those things reveal themselves as you write the book, and by the end
you’ll have a good idea of who each person is. The trick that helps me best is
to write down what I’ve learned about each character after the first draft is
done. And then when I go through edits, I can adjust dialogue and scenes to
better reflect who each character is.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Those are great tips. You’ve published
approximately 11 books since 2013. How long does it take you to write and
revise a manuscript before submitting it to an editor? What tips do you have on
how writers who write slowly (like me) can learn to complete a manuscript
quicker?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It varies a bit. I can draft a book
quickly (Fun fact! 15 Secrets to Survival was a NaNoWriMo book and I wrote the
first draft in 30 days). BUT, and here is the important part, if I draft things
quickly, I often have to take longer with edits. Books that take 6-8 months to
write might require less edits, but 15 Secrets to Survival took </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">multiple</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
full rewrites. My short advice on this? Trust your own process. There’s nothing
wrong with writing slow or fast, but it is important to make the process work
for you. If you’re a fast writer, you may need to dedicate big chunks of time
for a shorter period of time to get it done. If you’re slower, it might be
important to carve out a bit of time each day so you continue with steady
progress. In the end, every book gets written the same way—one word at a time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your Road to Publication</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. What was your road to the publication
of your debut book like? Share a bit about how you obtained your other book
deals.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My first middle grade was the fifth
full-length novel I wrote. I had submitted earlier books in contests, which
were a big thing then, and one of those early books resulted in me signing with
an agent. From there, I sold my next book, Six Months Later, and have been
lucky enough to be in contract and consistently writing since the beginning.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">On Marketing Your Book</span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. How do you market your books and how
have your marketing plans changed as you became a more experienced author? What
advice do you have for newer writers about marketing their books?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m NOT great at marketing, so I will
leave this question to other writers who have figured this out. For my best
advice on marketing, see below…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. You have a publicist. What made you
decide to hire one and how has having a publicist helped you with promotion of
your books helped you?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hiring my publicist was a business
decision based on objectively viewing my weaknesses. I know that doesn’t sound
too exciting, but I think it’s critical as a professional writer to know and to
address your personal weaknesses. I have a very hard time with marketing and
sales as I’m very wrapped up in the business of writing the books. As I’ve
grown busier, I’ve realized I need some support so I hired a publicist who helps
tremendously, arranging events for me, creating creative content, and helping
to secure speaking engagements. And so so much more!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. It’s good to know that a publicist can
help those of us who don’t want to market. What are you working on now?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I just wrapped up edits on my next YA
Thriller, 49 Miles Alone, which is a very different kind of survival story set
in the blistering heat of the Utah back country. That book is due out in July
of 2023. And I am over the moon to share that I’m working on a very exciting
book that follows a group of kids trying to work through an escape room set in
a safari park. This book is extra fun (and challenging) to write because in
addition to the story, the book also includes puzzles that readers can solve
alongside the characters!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for sharing all your advice,
Natalie. You can find Natalie at @natdrichards or </span><a href="file:///C:/Users/natal/Downloads/www.nataliedrichards.com" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.nataliedrichards.com</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Giveaway Details</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Natalie’s publisher </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">is generously offering a hardback
of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">15
Secrets to Survival for a
giveaway. </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all
you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget,
email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by December
2nd. <b>If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the
comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or
your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Natalie on her social media sites,
mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You
must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge.
You can find the participating blogs on his </span><a href="https://gpattridge.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">blog</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops</u></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday, December 1st I’m participating in
the Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, December 6th I have a guest
post by debut author Dana VanderLugt and a giveaway of her MG historical
Enemies in the Orchard</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 11th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Ashley Reisinger and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m participating
in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an interview
with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 1st</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
participating in the New Year New You Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, January 3rd I have an interview
with debut author Mary Averling and a giveaway of her MG fantasy </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and my
IWSG post</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, January 8th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Leah Moss and a query critique giveaway</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, January 16th I’m participating in
the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to see you on Friday, December 1st!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746050382328975047.post-72402182642949453122023-11-16T09:00:00.002-05:002023-11-16T14:28:20.881-05:00In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QKTXS-ZXrQPdzA0mhNpR5Rh8hraalSAG_oS9f4TOQ657dBv1_pUc6_DscS0rsexjn9ygwZInfDbMRP24NubT0OfQaRG1OuaRLWqPmr5aIO0gWx0aGqTQC_NnkQmmz7bfXnQTdZwlpENGMB_FKSAMu25gHiin2jp9emKrvMOWQwYr8qbyx-EsHu4XCwM/s300/November%20In%20All%20Things%20Give%20Thanks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QKTXS-ZXrQPdzA0mhNpR5Rh8hraalSAG_oS9f4TOQ657dBv1_pUc6_DscS0rsexjn9ygwZInfDbMRP24NubT0OfQaRG1OuaRLWqPmr5aIO0gWx0aGqTQC_NnkQmmz7bfXnQTdZwlpENGMB_FKSAMu25gHiin2jp9emKrvMOWQwYr8qbyx-EsHu4XCwM/s1600/November%20In%20All%20Things%20Give%20Thanks.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy Thursday Everyone! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today I'm excited to
participate in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop hosted by </span><u style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://mamathefox.com/">MamatheFox</a></span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. I hope you're having a good November and getting ready for the start of the holiday season. And I hope you're grateful for the good things in your life. I practice gratitude every day and have so much to be grateful for--including all of you who keep coming back to my blog.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card</u></b></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on
Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to
reading. If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Giveaway Details</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by November 30th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon
gift card and your email address.<b> Be sure to include your email address</b>.<br />
<br />
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites
and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book
giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Monday, November 20th I have an interview with author
Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG thriller 13 Secrets to Survival</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday, December 1st I’m participating in
the Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday, December 6th I have a guest
post by debut author Dana VanderLugt and a giveaway of her MG historical
Enemies in the Orchard</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday, December 7th I’m participating
in the Let It Snow Giveaway Hop</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 11th I have an agent
spotlight interview with Ashley Reisinger and a query critique giveaway</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday, December 16th I’m participating
in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday, December 20th I have an interview
with author </span><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joanne </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rossmassler Fritz
and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Ruptured</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to see you on Monday!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><a href="http://www.MamatheFox.com">MamatheFox</a> and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations. </em></p><p style="text-align: left;">And here are all the blogs participating in this blog hop:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
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<!--end InLinkz script-->Natalie Aguirrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com65