THE CADET OF TILDOR AND OBSIDIAN MIRRIOR GIVEAWAY AND ASK THE EXPERT INTERVIEW

Happy Monday! Before I get to my interview today, I've got a few things to share. First, the Cybil winners were announced this week. THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen won in the Sci Fi/Fantasy category. I'm so excited because I'm in love with that book. AND I NOMINATED IT! It was a highlight of my week. THE RUNAWAY KING comes out next month and I'll be sharing that will you for sure in April as March is already too booked. I can't wait to read it. You can see all the winners HERE.

Second, if you're a published author, Kathy at I AM A READER NOT A WRITER is looking for authors to donate books for her giveaway hops. This could be a great way for you to get some extra publicity for your book as her giveaway hops are very popular. If you're interested, go HERE to fill out her form.

The WriteOnCon Pitch-Fest starts today. You can find out details HERE. Hope to see you there!
 
Next, I have some winners to announce.

The winner of PRODIGY is LUISA FREIHEIT!

And the winner of CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS isVIVIEN!
Congrats! E-mail me your address so I can send you your book. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick a new winner.

Today I’m excited to interview Celine, a teenager from Australia, who also blogs at Forget-Me-Not. It’s a great blog where she reviews mostly YA books. So you know, she answered these questions a few months ago because school in Australia is really busy in February for her.

Welcome Celine! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your school, and what you like to read.

Hi everyone! As you know, my name is Celine and I live in Australia! I absolutely love to read, particularly YA books. I grew up with Roald Dahl’s books and my first YA book was...Twilight! I’m currently in my last 2 years of high school and it’s extremely busy. I have so many school works but I always try to spend my free time reading books! I do enjoy reading different types of genres such as YA dystopian, paranormal and also contemporary. And just letting you know, although I can’t choose my favourite YA dystopian and paranormal books, my all-time favourite YA contemporary book is none other than Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!

2. I don’t read much contemporary, but I loved Anna and the French Kiss. And I’m a huge YA dystopian fan. Before you started blogging, how did you find out about the books you read? What about new books coming out?

Before I started blogging, I usually find out about the books I read from the library. Sometimes, the library makes a list of good YA books to check out and I normally just buy books when the cover and summary intrigue me. As for new books, I don’t really know much unless it’s a sequel to the series I started reading although since blogging and checking out Goodreads, I found out lots of different new books coming out each year!

3. I used to love finding authors through books at the library. Now that I’m blogging, I get more ARCs and go to the library less, sadly. I love Goodreads as a way to find books too. And bloggers like you. What made you decide to start blogging? Tell us a bit about your blog and how you juggle it with the demands of high school.

I decided to start blogging because I really wanted to share my love for books and found out this community called blogging (which I absolutely love!). So, I decided to write my first review and then publish it in the blog. My blog has just recently celebrated its one year anniversary and I just can’t believe I’ve been blogging for a year! When I started my blog last year, school wasn’t very busy so I was able to blog constantly and participate in different memes. However, since school is quite busy this year, I have to keep track of all books I read which I need to review and make sure that I’m up-to-date with writing my reviews and updating my blog.

4. I’m amazed you can find time to blog with the demands of high school. My daughter has no time to read for pleasure with homework, swimming, and the community service required on college applications. How has blogging changed what you read, if at all? What books are you waiting to be released?

Blogging has certainly exposed me to different genres. I first began by reading only YA paranormal and contemporary books, but after blogging, I discovered many other amazing genres out there such as dystopian, steampunk, fantasy and many more! I have a lot of books I’m waiting for to be released but the ones I’m most dying for are probably Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (The last book in the series!), Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins and the third Divergent book by Veronica Roth!

5. Do you buy most of your book, receive ARCS, or get them at the library? How often do you go to a bookstore?

When I first started blogging, I bought most of my books. But, since some of the books I want to read are not quite available in the bookstores, I borrow some of them from the library too. After blogging for about 6 months, I started to receive physical ARCs from the publishers here and receiving my first physical ARC was one of the most unforgettable blogging moments. I visit the bookstore quite often, at least once a week and I just love looking around the YA section, trying to see which books I’m interested in that I haven’t got!

6. I also started out by buying a lot of my books. Now I get ARCs from publishers for most of my interviews and some ARCs I request. I was excited too when I first started getting ARCs from publishers. Do you read any teen book blogs, author blogs, or author or publisher websites? Become a fan of an author on Facebook? Why?

I definitely do check out a lot of YA book blogs, author blogs and publisher websites. Checking out other YA book blogs keep me updated with new books that I might not know yet and reading reviews from these blogs also help to know more about the books out there. As for author blogs, I love knowing what’s happening with the books they are writing! With publisher websites, I read them so I can also know when publishers here are going to publish certain books or whether or not they have picked up the rights to publish a book which has been published in the US because only some books published in the US are published here in Australia.

7. I read a lot of YA and middle grade book blogs for the same reason. Have any of your teachers recommended any blogs or websites to your class or to you?

My teachers rarely recommend blogs or websites to my class since we don’t really have a YA English class but sometimes they do when we are studying a particular book in class!

8. Are there things your favorite authors could do that would make you more likely to visit their website, their blog, or become a fan on Facebook?

I think I’m pretty happy with all the websites, blogs and facebook pages of my favourite authors. I particularly love it when their websites are neatly set out with creative and beautiful themes!

9. Have any authors visited your school? Who? Is there anything you’d recommend that an author do to make their presentation more interesting to you and other kids at your school?

So far, no authors have visited my school sadly. Although, if an author is going to visit my school, I’d really be excited and happy! I’ve only attended Melina Marchetta’s book signing (my favourite Aussie author!) and even though book signings are quite rare here, they are definitely an awesome experience!

Thanks Celine for sharing all your advice!

Today I’m sharing two awesome books, THE CADET OF TILDOR by debut author Alex Lidell and THE OBSIDIAN MIRROR by Catherine Fisher. I picked these because I really think that anyone would really enjoy these, even if you don’t like the fantasy genre. They are both fantastic stories that don’t have too many elements of magic which some of you may not like. I’ll keep my reviews brief so the post doesn’t get too long.

Here’s a blurb of THE CADET OF TILDOR from Goodreads:

Tamora Pierce meets George R. R. Martin in this smart, political, medieval fantasy-thriller.

There is a new king on the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young Crown's inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right.

 
 Renee is a fantastic character that reminded me a lot of the strong girls that Tamora Pierce writes about. Right from the beginning of the story when her father says he’ll disown her if she goes back to the Academy, she doesn’t hesitate to stick to her principles and just leaves. It was the same when Savory is kidnapped. She’s loyal and she leaves to rescue him even if it means she might lose everything she’s worked for. And I loved that she finds her own strengths to compensate for the fact that she’s smaller than the male cadets.

Alec and Savory are great secondary characters with secrets and family pasts. Savory is not the most likeable at the beginning. But trust me, he definitely will surprise you and grow on you.
The world, often cruel, is fascinating and there’s plenty of stakes, mystery, and political intrigue that compelled me to keep turning the pages as fast as I could. I so hope Alex writes another book in this series.

Here’s a blurb of THE OBSIDIAN MIRROR from Goodreads:

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

 
I’m a huge fan of Catherine Fisher’s and was thrilled when I received this ARC. Like her other stories, she does a fantastic job here making the Obsidian Mirror feel like the most mysterious, powerful object that everyone can’t help but want. It really says a lot about what an amazing writer she is.

This is told from multiple points of view of Jake, Sarah, Venn, and Wharton, the teacher who accompanies Jake to Wintercombe. Normally, I like stories from one or two points of view, but I could really see why this story needed so many points of view. All their lives are intertwined with the Obsidian Mirror. I don’t want to tell you how exactly because I don’t want to spoil it for you. I loved learning all their secrets, especially Venn’s and Sarah’s.

There’s time travel, a bit of magic, intrigue, deceptions, even between the main characters, and danger. This all equals a fantastic read. I can’t wait till the second book in the series comes out.

I’m giving away both of my ARCs. Thank you to Dial Books and Penguin Group from providing these ARCs. There will be two winners. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment about Celine’s interview and telling me which book is your first choice by midnight on March 2nd. I’ll announce the winner on March 4th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

Here's what's coming up:

Wednesday Casey and I have a super awesome 3000 follower mega giveaway. You won't want to miss it.

Next Monday I'm interviewing Carrie Harris about writing humor and platform and giving away her new book BAD HAIR DAY and BAD TASTE IN BOYS. Carrie has a great knack in creating funny, really likeable characters. I went to her book signing for BAD HAIR DAY and discovered she lives in my town. I was SO excited to find that out and I'm excited to share her books with you.

Next Wednesday I'm thrilled to interview Shannon Messenger about her new amazing YA book LET THE SKY FALL. I'm part of her blog tour and the tour is sponsoring a giveaway. And because Shannon's my friend and I loved her book, I have a giveaway too.

The following Monday  I have a guest post by Anna Staniszewski and a giveaway of her new book, MY FAIRY EPIC TALE FAIL, and her first book, MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE.

The following Wednesday, I have a guest post with debut author Liesel Hill and a giveaway of her new adult dystopian, PERSISTENCE OF VISION.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Laura Lascarso: Love Hurts

Did your characters have a great Valentine's Day yesterday? Yea? Well, perhaps they shouldn't have. Laura Lascarso is my guest today and she's here to talk about tough love and why it's good for YA romance. Enjoy!

Love Hurts: Why Tough Love = Good Romance in YA 

By Laura Lascarso

Are your fictional relationships in a rut? Is your hero’s love interest in danger of being relegated to the Friend Zone? Do you wish there was a little less conversation and little more action on the page?

Here are a few tips on how to spice up your characters’ love lives.

Love Takes Time: When X meets Y and despite never having had a conversation or knowing anything about each other, they fall instantly and madly in love, and they know that it will last FOREVER—cue the violins, it’s insta-love! It’s probably more like insta-like or perhaps insta-lust, but either way, it’s too soon to be throwing the L-word around so cavalierly.

Love is hard to come by, and it takes time for those feelings to be nurtured. Just as the reader must get to know our characters, so must our characters get to know one another. When there is a profession of love in the early chapters, it’s a bit of a letdown, and the romantic tension plummets. Unless of course, we’re going to do something terrible, like engineer a sudden car wreck which sends one of our characters into a coma, wherein upon waking, they no longer remember their loved one, at all.

In that case, sure, let’s get in our I-love-you’s while we can.

 But if there is no catastrophic event on the horizon, then let’s be frugal with our love and dole it out a little at a time; show the reader why these two people should be together despite the odds, and save the big reveal for when it will make the most emotional impact.

Fight More: Fighting is a fact of life, and conflict makes for great tension and character growth. If our lovebirds never fight, it’s a bit of a yawn. Characters who challenge each other, encourage each other to look inside themselves, to change and grow—that’s an interesting and believable relationship. Let your characters argue, get mad, fight, break-up and make up; that’s the stuff of life. What better way to reveal character, increase tension, and up-the-stakes than a good old-fashioned lovers’ quarrel.

In-laws and Natural Disasters: Romeo & Juliet, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hunger Games… There is something about the forces that pull us apart that is so compelling. Whether it’s generations of feuding families, a hurricane, or a Capitol-engineered blood sport, when two characters can overcome the powers trying to divide them, it makes the romance that much sweeter. Caveat: make sure the source of this external tension is also integral to the story’s plot.

Love Polygons: Love triangles are provocative because it’s twice the romance and exponentially more romantic tension. They can be a bit tricky to execute because the center of our love triangle is the same person in both relationships, yet both relationships must be completely different, and compelling, and convincing. The other caution with love triangles is that our reader will inevitably choose one suitor over the other. What if Captain Von Trapp had picked the Baroness? We’d have more than 7 weepy children and a heartbroken governess, the Sound of Music would have died right then. Team Maria!

We must arm our suitors with well-chosen weapons of love. Only one will pierce the cold armor to melt our hero’s heart. Choose wisely.

PDA’s and TMI: They’re acronyms for a reason. Like my son says, “Kissing is disgusting, and grown-ups are disgusting because they kiss.” Kissing is fine and great, but there are other ways to show intimacy. Just as real-life couples have inside jokes and special rituals, so will our characters. Even if our story is set in the zombie apocalypse, imagine our couple on a perfect day—what would they do or say; how would they act toward each other? Ruminate on how they might express their love and affection and try to incorporate these quieter moments into your story.

First Kiss: I’m having rewrite flashbacks here because the first kiss in CB was written and rewritten so many times that it began to feel robotic. (That’s when you break out the chocolate). It’s hard for some writers (me) to articulate the kiss, especially with words like “tongue” and “saliva” in the mix. This is why it might help to focus more on the build-up to the first kiss, both in terms of earlier missed opportunities for that connection, as well as the biological responses that happen right before. Beware, because it’s so easy to fall into cliché here, because our hearts really do race, palms do sweat, and yes, it kind of feels like the onset of a really bad virus. That’s amore.

So, in conclusion, when writing romance, make love tough, make your tender moments extraordinary (even if they’re extraordinarily awful), and allow space for healthy conflict. Now, for a few recommendations:

Pride and Prejudice (miscommunication abounds)
The Fault in Our Stars (tender moments)
Jellicoe Road (characters who challenge each other)
Hunger Games and Twilight (love triangle)
Graceling (slow burn)
Ella Enchanted (the curse of the in-laws)

Share some of your favorite love stories. What are some novels or movies that you feel do romance well, and why?

Laura Lascarso's debut YA novel Counting Backwards (Atheneum) is available in stores now. Visit her on the web at www.lauralascarso.com

COVER REVEAL: ICE DOGS BY TERRY JOHNSON

Happy Valentines Day!

Today I'm thrilled to share the cover of Terry Johnson's new book, ICE DOGS, which releases on February 14, 2014. I'll be interviewing her when it comes out.  I have a super soft spot for Terry because she was the first debut author I interviewed when I joined Casey as her blog partner.

So here's Terry's awesome cover!

Isn't it amazing? And here's a description of ICE DOGS:

Sometimes I wish I could trade places with the dogs. They only have to worry about running and eating. They love fiercely and don’t worry about things they can’t control. And when someone dies, they can sit on top of their house, throw their head back and howl.

Lost.

That’s how 14-year-old dogsledder Victoria Secord as felt ever since her father dies. A champion musher, Victoria is independent, self-reliant, and thanks to her father, an expert in surviving the unforgiving Alaskan bush. When an injured “city boy” and a freak snow storm both catch Victoria and her dog team by surprise, however, a routine trip becomes a life or death trek through the frozen wilderness. As temperatures drop and food stores run out, Victoria must find a way to save them all in this high stakes, high adventure middle grade novel of endurance, hope and finding your way back home. 

And here's some information about Terry.

 I write outdoor adventures for young adults. When I'm not writing, I work as a Conservation Officer, and before that, I was a Park Ranger and a musher. I love living in northern Ontario where I can snowshoe, kayak, and fish—all in the same month!








Hope you'll all let Terry know how much you like her cover.

And I hope to see you on Monday when I have an interview with a high school teen for my ASK THE EXPERT series and will be sharing and giving away THE CADET OF TILDOR, a fantastic debut fantasy, and OBSIDIAN MIRROR, another fantastic fantasy by Catherine Fisher, one of my favorite authors. Even if you're not a fantasy lover, I think you'd enjoy both of these books..

CHUCK SAMBUCHINO INTERVIEW AND CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM: THE KEY TO BUILDING AN AUDIENCE, SELLING MORE BOOKS AND FINDING SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR GIVEAWAY

Today I’m so thrilled to have Chuck Sambuchino here to share about his new book, CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM: THE KEY TO BUILDING AN AUDIENCE, SELLING MORE BOOKS AND FINDING SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR, which was released November 23, 2012. This is such a fantastic book that tells you why it’s important to have writer platform and how to use avenues like blogging, Twitter, and Facebook to build your platform. It’s definitely got me thinking about what I need to do and I know that I’ll be referring to this book in the future. I can’t recommend it enough. 

Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest Books edits the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the CHILDREN'S WRITER'S & ILLUSTRATOR'S MARKET. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog is one of the largest blogs in publishing.
    His 2010 humor book, HOWTO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK, was optioned by Sony Pictures. His second humor book, RED DOG / BLUE DOG (2012), is a humorous photo collection of dogs doing liberal and conservative things. His books have been mentioned in Reader’s Digest, USA Today, the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Variety, and more.
    Chuck has also written the writing guides FORMATTING & SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT and CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM (2012).
    Besides that, he is a freelancebook & query editor, husband, sleep-deprived new father, and owner of a flabby-yet-lovable dog named Graham. Find Chuck on Twitter and on Facebook.

Here’s a description of CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM from Goodreads:

Creating a platform isn't just beneficial--"it's essential"!In today's world of blogging, websites, Twitter feeds, and Facebook updates, building a writer platform from the ground up can seem a daunting task. Never fear--author and editor Chuck Sambuchino provides expert, practical advice for increasing your visibility, selling more books, and launching a successful career. In "Create Your Writer Platform," you'll learn: The definition of a platform--and why you should start building one "now."How to harness the 12 Fundamental Principles of Platform."Old School" and "New School" approaches to platform, from article writing and conference speaking to website development, blog posts, and social media avenues.How to develop a platform for nonfiction, fiction, and memoir. In addition to Chuck's invaluable insights, you'll also find 12 case studies from authors with effective platforms, as well as professional advice from literary agents. If you're serious about building a platform tailored to "you" and "your writing"--a platform that's going to help you succeed as a writer--look no further than "Create Your Writer Platform.

 

Hi Chuck. Thanks so very much for joining us.

1.  Tell us a bit about yourself, how you started working at Writer’s Digest, and how you became a writer.

I started at Writer’s Digest magazine in 2005. A year later, a position opened up on the books side of WD working on their annual market books. My job since then has evolved to handling whatever they ask me to do—including e-commerce stuff, tweeting, blogging, speaking at conferences, and editing my two market books. It’s a grand adventure, but all aspects of my job focus on helping writers get published—something I enjoy deeply.

I started writing seriously when I was in college. I began in journalism and playwriting. Now I just try to write whatever I can, be it books or screenplays or articles or anything else. I’ve also started a freelance editing business for queries, synopses and manuscripts. I think the variety of assignments helps keep me interested. (I have mad A.D.D.)

 

2.  I think you have a dream job for a writer. Share about your blog and how you’ve made it grow over the years you’ve been blogging.

The Guide to Literary Agents Blog began 5 years ago and has been quite a journey. I feel like I’ve learned so much along the way, so I’ll just be short. As the years went on, I started to pay attention to different things, such as what readers responded to, what kinds of posts generated more page views, and how to get others to contribute content to me. These 3 things, along with a ton of other factors, have helped it grow from nothing into one of the biggest blogs in publishing. Every month, I get e-mails from multiple people saying they used the blog to get an agent. 

For people out there considering creating a blog, one easy tip I can share with you is to simply look at what other similar bloggers are doing and learn from them. If they have success with book reviews, can you do the same? If they have success holding contests, can you do the same? If they get more comments on posts that end with a question, can you do the same? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Study why others find success and mimic them in some way.

3.  Guys, I love Chuck's blog. It's another great resource besides here for finding out about new agents to query. I highly recommend you follow it. And that's a great tip, Chuck, to study other successful blogs.  

In your book, you differentiate between publicity and platform. What are the differences between the two and why is developing a platform so important?

Platform is the connections & avenues you develop before you need help spreading the word about your book. Publicity is when your book is out and you ask other people, many of whom you do not know well, to cover your book in the media. 

Publicity is very hit & miss—almost alarmingly so. You never know when or where someone will discuss your book. Platform is guaranteed. If you’ve created a newsletter with 10,000 subscribers, that is your platform to control, and it is guaranteed that you can mention your book every newsletter. 

Think about it like this: When your book comes out, what options are available for you right now that are guaranteed to help you? That’s platform. What options exist that you hope will help you when you contact them? That’s publicity. The difference between the former and latter is huge

.

4.  Platform sounds way more important and what I'm planning on focusing on. You also discuss the 12 fundamental principles of building a platform. Share a few of the critical ones with us.

The first two are pretty darn important. #1 is “It is in giving that we receive.” In other words, you must offer other people distinct value to get them to follow you. Make them smile; inform them; cull together information; teach them how to change a tire; create some website that makes their lives easier. If you can do this on a website or in person or through social media, then you will gain followers and fans and contacts. Thus, you will create networks of people who trust you and will consider buying your book(s). That’s platform! Most people simply tweet about what’s happening in their day because that is the easiest thing to do. But that information is of no mass value to people, so a platform never materializes. Remember that providing real value to people is often difficult.

#2 is “You don’t have to go it alone.” Team up with others to accomplish your goals. Contribute to existing websites and blogs and magazines if starting your own seems too daunting. Co-write with people. Get people to contribute to your site/blog. Help other people with their endeavors so they will help you with yours. Rise together with other rising writers.

5.  Those two principles are so important to focus on. Wow! I can attest to how great it is to team up with other bloggers. Joining Casey as a blog partner was one of the best things I've done. She's been a great mentor in my blogging and already had followers.

You stress in your book that it’s essential for a nonfiction writer to have a strong platform before trying to find a publisher while it is less important for fiction writers, who need to finish the best book they can write. Most of us here are aspiring middle grade and YA fiction writers trying to build our platform. What are the essential steps we should take now to build our platforms?

First, I advise you not to step into this world half-heartedly. If you are going to reluctantly blog or reluctantly tweet or reluctantly speak to local groups of people, then this is not the best path for you. Your dispassion will come through in your work, and a following will not manifest. And that’s OK. After all, fiction writers don’t need platform…

…But they should want platform. Because platform = book sales, and book sales = a long and successful writing career. 

One of the first things you need to do is figure out what you will talk about when online or in person. In other words, what value/information will you try to share/provide? In my platform book, I lay out the three most common approaches of fiction writers in the platform arena:

1. The “loose connection” niche: This is where you talk about a subject that has a loose connection to your book(s). An example would be an author who writes crime fiction with a Native-American protagonist. This author could blog about legislation and news affecting Native communities.
2. The “altogether different” niche. This is where you develop a platform focusing on whatever you like—perhaps something like a capella singing or mountain biking. You attempt to develop a platform large in size, so that some of your large following will also have an interest in books—and those people will buy your novel.
3. The “writing focus” niche. This is where you discuss writing and books and publishing. Beware, though. Many people take this approach, and only the hardest working, most original approaches succeed. Remember that talking about your own publishing journey is often not of high value. You must bring more to the table—reviews, news, interviews, etc.

6.  For most of us aspiring authors who don’t have a big name behind us like Writer’s Digest or aren’t experts in a nonfiction field, the way we increase our blog followings (besides providing good content) is following other blogs. Many who get a fair amount of comments offer giveaways (like I do with my author interviews) and/or spend hours a day following other blogs and commenting on them. Many bloggers are saying that the blogging is taking too much time and are cutting back on their blogging to allow more time for writing, which is of course very important. I also see a lot of authors who stop following blogs once they get their publishing contract and then they lose many of their followers. What are your thoughts on this trend of cutting back and what are your recommendations for making our blogs grow and increasing our blog followings?

If it’s too much trouble to blog, start a blog with multiple people so you all work together. Or contribute to an existing blog. That will help you get some visibility but cut back on your workload.

If commenting on many blogs is an issue, then simply stop commenting on so many blogs.

And yes, you cannot stop your platform building and social media once you get a contract. This perplexes me. What’s the point of making connections and friends if you’re going to give up on those connections in the timeframe right before you need them the most (when your book comes out)?

This all comes down to a lack of time for people. And the answer to that problem is to always be trying to work smarter.

7.  I so agree with you that you can't give up on the connections you make, which is why I think it's a mistake to stop blogging and reading blogs if you have a following. Working smarter sounds like a great approach to handling the time constraint issues.

How should we define whether our blogs are successful—comments or page views—and why?

Both. Page views show your wide reach. Comments are more reflective of how many hardcore followers you have. Obviously, hardcore followers will be shoo-ins to buy your book, and that’s great. (They will also spread the word about your book when it comes out to help you—this proving Fundamental Principle #2.) But you can’t just market your book to the same 50-200 loyal readers. You’ve got to meet new readers and show up on Google searches. That kind of success is reflective in growing page views. 

8.  I hadn't thought of the importance of page views, but I'm going to focus on them more in the future.

Let’s talk about Twitter for a bit. I confess that I’m not on Twitter yet because I spend a lot of time already on my blog and reading other people’s blogs. I work full-time and have a family and barely have time to write with all this. But you’ve convinced me in your book that I need to join Twitter soon. Share what are the best ways aspiring authors can utilize Twitter to build our platforms and how to use it once we have a book being released. How much time should we spend on this and blogging, especially if we have other jobs?

One thing people need to understand is that your first goal when joining Twitter is to listen. It is an information-sharing site, so go on there, follow people, and read what they are sharing. There is more great tutelage and instruction going around than can be consumed. 

If you want to join Twitter to build your platform and expand your influence beyond the hemisphere of friends & relatives, then it’s very simple … you must provide value and give people an incentive to follow you. You can’t just talk about yourself. You have to share good info or make people laugh or teach people something. We’re back to all-important Fundamental Principle #1. If you give people a reason to follow you on Twitter, they will indeed follow you. A lot of writers find success by passing around good Internet articles on writing. That is incentive for other writers to follow them. To see examples of this in action, check out the Twitter accounts of Joanna Penn, Debbie Ohi, Jane Friedman and myself. 

https://twitter.com/thecreativepenn

https://twitter.com/inkyelbows

https://twitter.com/janefriedman

https://twitter.com/chucksambuchino

9.  I'm going to check them all out before I go on Twitter. Share how we can use some of the tools like Google analytics to gauge how successful we are in growing our platform.

Google Analytics can start to show you which posts are getting the most attention. From there, you can try to analyze why this is so. Perhaps you had a great blog post title; perhaps someone famous blogged about your article and sent new people your way; perhaps you happen to be the only person on the planet blogging about left-handed writers born in Romania (so you should continue on the topic!). 

A big part of building your platform is to evolve and analyze. See what’s working, and learn from that. Also, continue to make small tweaks to work more effectively. 

10. What books are you working on now?

I’m editing the 2014 GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the 2014 CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET. Outside of that, my agent and I are shopping proposals for my next guide on writing as well as my next pop humor book. Hopefully I will have good news to share in 2013. I love meeting writers, so please stay in touch with me through Twitter (@chucksambuchino) and my website, chucksambuchino.com

 

Okay, I’ll stop here because I’ve asked you a ton of questions. Thanks so much for all your great advice. You have got me really thinking about so much about my platform. I hope everyone else has gotten as much out of Chuck's advice.

Chuck generously offered a copy of CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on March 2nd. I’ll announce the winner on March 4th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

Here's what's coming up:

Tomorrow I'll be doing a cover reveal for my friend Terry Johnson. I hope you'll stop by and congratulate her on her awesome cover.

Friday Casey has a guest post on love and romance in YA books.

Next Monday I have an interview with a high school teen for my ASK THE EXPERT series and will be sharing and giving away THE CADET OF TILDOR, a fantastic debut fantasy and OBSIDIAN MIRROR, an urban fantasy by Catherine Fisher, one of my favorite authors. Even if you don't love the fantasy genre, I think you'll really enjoy these books because they don't have much magic and just great stories.

And next Wednesday, Casey and I have a super awesome 3000 follower mega giveaway. You won't want to miss it. 

The following Monday I'm interviewing Carrie Harris about writing humor and platform and giving away her new book BAD HAIR DAY and BAD TASTE IN BOYS. Carrie has a great knack in creating funny, really likeable characters. I went to her book signing for BAD HAIR DAY and discovered she lives in my town. I was SO excited to find that out and I'm excited to share her books with you.

And Wednesday that week I'm thrilled to interview Shannon Messenger about her new YA book LET THE SKY FALL. I'm part of her blog tour and the tour is sponsoring a giveaway. And because Shannon's my friend and I loved her book, I have a giveaway too.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!
 

ELSIE CHAPMAN INTERVIEW AND DUALED GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday! I hope all of you on the East coast are safe and have heat and electricity. I've been thinking of you all weekend.

Also, Happy Chinese New Year to any of you who celebrate this. We had our annual Families with Children from China adoption support group (I founded it before I adopted Anna Li) Chinese New Year Party on Saturday. It was a fantastic time. Over 100 people and kids attended. Anna Li and her best friend did an awesome job running the prize table. We didn't have that many volunteers but we got it all done and everyone had a great time.

Before I get to our interview, I've got a few things to share. First, there's two free online conferences coming up.

WriteOnCon has announced the agents and genres for their Mid-Winter Pitch-Fest. And the forums will be open from February 18-March 10. There will be posts, advice, and tips from top industry professionals too. I can't wait! Go to the WriteOnCon website HERE for details. (FYI, it's not up as of Sunday am on the website, but should be up there soon. I found out from their newsletter, which you can sign up for on their website.)

IndieReCon,, the indie online conference, is happening February 19-21. I'm not planning to self-publish right now, but I'm thinking that I can learn a lot from the conference, including about marketing. So I'll go when I can as I'll also be at work. You can register and find out more info about the conference at the IndieReCon website HERE.

Finally, Ellen Oh, the debut author of PROPHECY, wrote a fantastic post about the need for diversity in kid's literature and has some great book recommendations. Having a daughter adopted from China, I totally agree with her that there aren't enough books that minority kids can see themselves in. Read her post HERE.

Today I’m excited to interview debut author Elsie Chapman about DUALED, her dystopian book that releases on February 26, 2013. I really enjoyed the dystopian world Elsie created where everyone has a genetic alternate and sometime in their youth, they are forced to battle the alternate to see who is stronger and will survive. It’s a fascinating concept. I enjoyed watching West once she gets her assignment and only has one month to kill her mirror self.

Here’s a description from Goodreads:

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Hi Elsie. Thanks so much for joining us.

Hi Natalie, and thank you so much for having me!

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I remember as a kid wanting to grow up to be an author. But it seemed very unattainable, nearly impossible, and authors never seemed entirely real to me, so over time I stopped writing creatively. It wasn’t until my kids were older and I had more time to myself that I started thinking about writing again.

2. It's awesome that you've gotten to do what you wanted as a kid. How did you come up with the idea for your story?

My son asked me one day how could we be sure we all didn’t have twins out there who we just didn’t know about? It came out of the blue, and even as I answered him as well as I could, it got the wheels turning.

3. That's a funny way to get an idea for a story. And it's one I'm sure your son will cherish too. One of the things I found interesting about DUALED was that West’s journey was very much one of being alone much of the time. There was much more narration and less dialogue than some stories. Share why you decided to tell the story in this fashion and the challenges of writing your story this way.

It actually just happened that way on its own. The bones of the story have remained the same, even during revisions and edits, and they’ve always been of a more reflective nature. West being alone so much of the time really is the best fit for the story since it’s about her learning how to fight one-on-one, against an enemy who is essentially herself.

4. Well, you did it very masterfully. I read that you were a panster with this story but with book 2 in the series you plotted it out. What have you learned from using both techniques and what advice do you have for the rest of us?

I love the fluidity of pansting, where you can just write and write and simply focus on getting everything from your head onto paper, so to speak. It’s only afterward during revisions and edits that plot holes and inconsistencies will pop out. The biggest problem in having to fix all that is that whatever you change will most likely also alter anything that happens afterward, as well. It’s very much a domino effect. So with DUALED, while the first draft went very quickly, revisions took me longer. With DIVIDED, I decided to try a heavily detailed outline first. It made drafting a much more structured, controlled process that took longer, but hopefully it also means lighter revisions. Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses, and I think each writer needs to find what works best for them. A lot of the time it ends up being something in between.

5. Yes, I think we learn what makes the revision process take too long and try to correct it in our next book. Share a bit about your world building and why you developed the story as an internal struggle for West versus a struggle against the world as many dystopian stories go?

I did know I wanted something a bit different. A lot of dystopians involve a large-scale rebellion of some kind, and I still really love stories that do this. So with DUALED, while I wanted to keep that sense of struggle and having to fight, I just put a bit of a twist on it by having West’s main conflict be with herself.

6. Yes, that definitely made your story unique. Your agent is Steven Chudney. How did he become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I was very fortunate to have multiple offers of representation, all from incredibly fantastic agents. But Steven was the first to get back to me, and his enthusiasm for DUALED really left an impression. After I signed with him, I worked on some minor edits before we went on submission. Random House came forward with an offer a few months later, and I have to tell you, getting that phone call from Steven was one of the best moments of my life. Because it’s really hard, that waiting period in between—on some days you feel absolutely delusional about your own abilities, and you’re so low you can’t even think about trying to work on something else; on others you realize how very lucky you are to be on submission, that it wasn’t just luck that got you that far, and it’s actually motivating.

7. Wow! That's awesome you had multiple offers from agents. What’s your advice on steps to take in marketing during the year leading up to the release of your book?

The funny thing is, with editing and revising and drafting, I have less time than ever before. And there’s so much information and advice out there about what you’re supposed to do, or should be doing. It can be overwhelming. So to be honest, I believe that in the end, it’s going to come down to simple word of mouth and your book just finding readers that way. I think teens, especially, talk to each other about what they’re actually reading, and make recommendations and suggestions. My advice in terms of marketing is to do what interests you, or what you find enjoyable, but to not let it frustrate you or get in the way of what’s really important—writing your next book!

8. Great, non-stressful advice. Thanks. What are you working on now?

Edits for DIVIDED and also drafting up something new.

Thanks Elsie for sharing all your advice. You can find Elsie on her author Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and Website. Also you can find her book at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

The Book Depository

Elsie's publisher, Random House, generously offered an ARC for a giveaway.To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on February 23rd. I'll announce the winner on February 25th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

Here's what's coming up: 

On  Wednesday I have a fascinating interview with Chuck Sambuchino of Guide to Literary Agents about his new book, CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM: THE KEYS TO BUILDING AN AUDIENCE, SELLING MORE BOOKS, AND FINDING SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR, with a giveaway of his book. His book really got me thinking about how I can improve my platform and social networking. I'm really excited to share Chuck's advice and his book with you. Chuck's interview is filled with awesome advice whether you're an author or book review blogger. I can't encourage you enough to read his interview.

On Thursday I'll be doing a cover reveal for my friend Terry Johnson. I hope you'll stop by and congratulate her on her awesome cover.

Next Monday, I have an interview with a high school teen for my ASK THE EXPERT series and will be sharing and giving away THE CADET OF TILDOR, a fantastic debut fantasy and OBSIDIAN MIRROR, an urban fantasy by Catherine Fisher, one of my favorite authors. Even if you don't love the fantasy genre, I think you'll really enjoy these books because they don't have much magic and just great stories.

And Wednesday next week, Casey and I have a super awesome 3000 follower mega giveaway. You won't want to miss it.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Agent Spotlight: Pam Victorio

This week's Agent Spotlight features Pam Victorio (formerly Pam van Hylckama Vlieg) of D4EO Literary Agency.
Status: Open to submissions.
About: “Pam Victorio started her literary career as an assistant to an agent in early 2012. In her first two years as an agent, Pam brokered 24 deals, with publishers such as Knopf, Scholastic, NAL, ACE, Grand Central, and others.
"She joined D4EO in June 2014, where she will continue to build her list. She has a passion for genre fiction as well as children's literature.” (Link)
About the Agency:
“Robert G. (Bob) Diforio launched the eponymous D4EO Literary Agency in 1989 after a long career at the New American Library (NAL/Dutton), now an imprint of Penguin Random House. The agency is named after him (D4EO, for Diforio).
"Today D4EO is a full-service, multi-agent literary agency representing authors of a very broad range of commercial fiction and non-fiction for children, young adults, and adults.
"Books represented by the agency have topped the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and agency authors have received awards that include the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and the Nero Award, as well as nominations for the Hugo Award, among many other notable successes.
"With over 2,000 published books under contract, the agency has launched the writing careers of more than two hundred authors." (Link)
Web Presence:
D4EO Literary Agency website.
D4EO Publishers Marketplace page.
Twitter.
#mswl on Twitter.
QueryTracker.
AgentQuery. 
What She's Looking For:
Genres / Specialties:
Children’s middle grade and young adult, new adult, adult genre fiction. (Link)
From Her Old Submissions Page (as of 5/13):
“Pam is interested in the following genres:
“High concept young adult in any genre. Some of Pam’s favorite recent YA books are: The Masque of the Red Death, Cinder, Shadow and Bone, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Small Damages, and Insignia.
“Middle grade in these genres: fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, paranormal, literary. Pam’s recent favorite MG books are: The Peculiars, The Emerald Atlas, Storybound, The Prince Who Fell from the Sky, and Icefall.
“Romance in these categories: historical, fantasy, and erotica. Pam’s favorite romance titles released recently are: Loving Lady Marcia, Be My Prince, Rogue’s Pawn, and The Siren.
“Pam is now accepting submissions in commercial science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction.
“New Adult in all categories will be considered. Pam has enjoyed The Ivy, and Leopard Moon in this genre.
“She will be considering the following genres for submission along with her assistant agent Jen Karsbaek.
“I am now open to submissions in upmarket women’s fiction and historical fiction. I’m looking for books with particularly well-developed characters and strong authorial voice. In historical fiction in particular I am particularly interested in books that bring the setting to life and that maintain balance between historical accuracy and strong plot choices. I am also very interested in mystery, fantasy, and occasionally romance approaches to these genres as well.
“Non Fiction. Pop culture and pop science.” (Link defunct)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Picture books, screenplays.
Editorial Agent?
Revisions as needed; otherwise unknown.
Clients:
There is a list of clients on the agency website.
Clients include: Lorelie Brown, Andrew Chilton, Dan Gemeinhart, J. C. Nelson, and Lauren Smith, among others.
Query Methods:

E-mail: No.
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: Yes.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Only queries through Query Manager will be accepted.
See the agency website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines. 
Response Times:
Unknown.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
Small Press 411: Agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, interview at Tangled Up In Words (02/2013).
Interview with Literary Agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at 2013 MWG Conference Notes (12/2012).
Interview with Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Literary Rejections (2012).
Contact:
Please see the D4EO Literary website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 6/5/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review?
Last Reviewed By Agent? 2/7/13.
***
Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's and/or teen fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.