BLOG HOP!!

Firstly, I want to welcome all my new Alleywalkers!! Ooh, newbie ALLEYWALKERS ROCK!! Welcome guys! Ever have a question or suggestion for me, pop up to my ASK ME A ? tab and post it. I'll get back to you. I PROMISE.

CHEESE!! C, Me Smilin'. 

I just had to do this again this week. Go check out the BLOG HOP over on Crazy-for-books. I had a great time last week and met some really cool people. ";-)

It's running from today until May 6th.

Oh, and check out the other post I did this morning just below. A really great BOOK GIVEAWAY and signed copies no less!!

On the personal front: I'll be absent for the next few days. Should be back Monday. My daughter and I are in a show tonight, Saturday, and Sunday. The only thing I'll have time for is makeup, hair, and hopefully breathing. LOL. 

This was Kate years ago. 

Shh...she'll kill me if she knows I posted this old photo. But I just love it!! 

She was just treeee years old.

Now she's older, badder, and has a tween attitude to match. CHEESE, again. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone and remember to keep your eyes and ears open. You never know where your next story will come from.

Peace out! 

Ooh, and pray I make it until Sunday. Maybe I'll even post a few photos next  week. MAYBE....

BOOK GIVEAWAY: 4 Fantasy Authors!

I quickly wanted to share this with you.

GREAT GIVEAWAY!!

Win a book to be signed by Charlaine Harris, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, or Melissa Marr.

Date: Now until May 03, 2010 06:00PM EST.

Venue: Read My Mind: Book Review Site by AliseOnLife

Read My Mind: Win A Signed Book By 1 of 4 Fantasy Authors!

TOEING THURSDAY

OUR LIVES AFFECT OUR CHARACTERS


MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME...but is it really lost?

I had one of those days yesterday that I'm sure you've all had. My writing was a desert wasteland of nothingness. It wasn't because of the usual reasons, though. 

Not lack of passion. No.

Not lack of desire. Un-huh.

Not even writer's block. Nope.

Life. That's what happened.

I'd love to share with you what happened to one of my children at their school, but that's for another time, another issue, and when I'm ready. What I'd like to address, though, is how we take those unexpected *UGHS* in our lives and use them to propel us to greater things, deeper scenes, and unforgettable characters. 

"Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact." William James

Can we take wisdom from such a quote? 

YES. 

I am a firm believer that whatever comes into our lives has a good purpose. We need to open our eyes and see. I don't believe there's some dude up above with a book pre-destined with our names in it. But I do believe that events that pass in and through our lives have meaning if we look hard enough and it's up to us; we have a choice. 

Let's take character development. 

When you begin a story, you always start with a someone. You have to or else you'd have one boring story about a rainstorm that would have to last the length of catastrophic, global flood. So would make a story about a flood interesting? Characters. 

The old man dangling from a tree.

Or maybe the dog still chained to his dog house that barks endlessly at the rising waters until he's silence to be heard from no more.

We may see the young family climbing onto the roof of their porch to later use an upstairs window and drag themselves on the roof of their house. They wait anxiously for help.

Point being, just like in *real* life our characters take from their surroundings, deepening who they are. How would the young father of the family on the roof of the house handle the situation? What would that tell the reader about him? His wife?

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." William Wallace

Let's always make sure that the events that mold our scenes, plots, and stories enable our characters to *really live*. 

Have you ever had something happen to you personally that propelled you to greater things? Greater writing? 

And when you have a character profoundly affected by an event, how do you help that character truly live? 

GRAFFITI WALL: Dianne Salerni, We Hear The Dead

The GRAFFITI WALL is so excited today to introduce you to a wonderful YA author whose debut novel is set for release this Saturday, May 1st. She's a writer, mom, teacher, and an all around great lady.

Dianne Salerni, author of WE HEAR THE DEAD

Welcome Dianne. I always like to ask how an author was first attracted to the art of writing.

I’ve been making up stories since before I could write, so I can’t remember a specific author or book that inspired me.  My earliest foray into authorship is a little paper book called The Dragon and The Girl. My father penciled in the title for me, and the story is told through pictures. I cut the pages out myself (crookedly) and pasted them together with Elmer’s Glue. 

I love stories like that. Great memory. 

Favorite authors? I know you like history, which is a fantastical place to scope out material. What era has interested you the most?

My reading tastes have changed a lot over time. In high school and college I mostly read science fiction and fantasy (CJ Cherryh, Roger Zelazny, Douglas Adams).  Later, I was into mysteries (PD James, Elizabeth George, Reginald Hill), and as a teacher, I also read a ton of MG and YA fiction (Suzanne Collins, Nancy Farmer, Margaret Peterson Haddix). It’s only been in the past several years that I’ve taken a big interest in historical fiction (Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir).  I love to read about many different eras, but I’m most comfortable writing in the 19^th century.

You're a wife, mother, teacher, and now published author. Any way to put it all in perspective?

Sometimes, it’s hard to put it all in perspective!  My family has been super supportive, but I know there are times it wears on their nerves.  When I’m deep into writing, my husband says I’m time traveling, and more than once I almost called him by the name of the romantic lead in my most recent manuscript! My daughters claim that when I’m busy on the computer, I’ll respond to any question they ask by saying, “Hello!” but I can’t corroborate that.

*Smile*


I've also read that you are a reviewer. What are your favorite books i.e., subjects to review?

I usually pick a lot of YA, as well as historical fiction, science fiction, and paranormal.  When I first started reviewing, I had trouble turning anybody down.  I wanted to help out any author who needed a review.  However, I quickly learned that I wasn’t doing anybody a favor by picking a genre I didn’t enjoy.  I’m more selective now, which increases the chances of being able to write a favorable review.

Being a 5th grade teacher must keep you busy. How have your students responded to your success?

They are very excited for me, and I keep them updated on the whole publication process.  They like to see the tables turned on the writing teacher – like when my producer/collaborator told me I needed to rip off the first 30 pages of the screenplay and write a new beginning.  They almost fell out of their chairs laughing! At conference time this spring, many parents congratulated me on various successes I had shared with my class. This tells me the kids are enthused enough about their “author teacher” to take the stories home.

I'm sure that added support helps. That's great.


So what about your own children? Doing more laundry for Mom, cooking, cleaning...?

Yes, they do help more around the house than they used to, but at ages nine and thirteen, they are the age for it!  Okay, so their version of “dusting” and “vacuuming” doesn’t quite meet my standard – but that’s probably true in every house! I figure they owe me some cleaning, because I suspect they get away with a lot of stuff while I’m distracted by writing. (Them: “Can we have a 3^rd bowl of ice cream?” Me: “Hello!”)

*Smile again* (I can relate.)


Okay. Big stuff. Can you explain the process you've undergone to bring WE HEAR THE DEAD to public light? I know you went the self-publishing route first. How was that process different then what is going on with the book now?

There was no “release date” when I self-published. One day the book turned up live on Amazon, and that was it – no fanfare, no publicity.  Promoting the book was totally up to me. I pitched the book to various review sites and paid for the review copies.  If I participated in a signing event at a store or a fair, I bought the books and paid for the booth.  And of course, I had to overcome two major obstacles to promote my work: the price of a POD book and the stigma of self-publishing.

Releasing this book with Sourcebooks has been an entirely different story.  I need only to point out the absolutely kickin’ party my publishers threw in New York City to launch the Sourcebooks Fire imprint. I have to admit I was nervous when I went, since I was probably the least experienced author there that night.  But that’s not the way I was treated, and I left that evening flying high and proud to be associated with Sourcebooks!

Sounds so exciting!!

Would you recommend a writer try self-publishing or should I ask what are the major pros and cons you ran into that would influence their decision?

A writer should very carefully weigh all the pros and cons before self-publishing.  On the plus side, you have a book and some number of people will read it.  You have creative control over it, and you make all the decisions.  On the downside, the cost of publishing and promoting the book are yours to bear, and a POD book is always going to be over-priced. (E-book publishing is a different story, of course, and a great way to get some exposure!)

In the end, I was lucky.  My book had great reviews and it was based on a true story.  These were the two factors that brought High Spirits to the attention of Sourcebooks and a producer in Hollywood -- and ultimately led to the creation of We Hear the Dead and hopefully the (as yet unnamed) movie!

WE HEAR THE DEAD

You mentioned the story is based on real events. How much of the book is actual fiction and how much is based on history? 

The book very closely follows recorded history. Everything that happens in We Hear the Dead really did happen, although I sometimes changed the order in which it happens (or the location) in order to make the plot flow smoothly. I used E.E. Lewis's pamphlet describing the Hydesville Haunting to write the beginning of the book, where the Fox sisters begin their hoax. And I used lines from Maggie and Elisha's love letters to create dialogue between them. I often had to guess at people's motives and sometimes fill in missing information with my imagination, but I kept as close to the facts as I possibly could.

That sounds so interesting and fun to write.


Congratulations on working on the screenplay for We Hear The Dead. That must be a trip. How is writing a screenplay different than the actual manuscript?

Thank you!  Never in a million years did I imagine myself speaking the words “my screenplay!” A movie script is a completely different animal than a novel.  I had to shift my entire schema of writing to draft the screenplay.  At first, I didn’t like it at all, but the better I got at it, the more enjoyable it became.  My collaborator has been wonderful (even when she told me to ditch the first 30 pages).  She is currently sending version 6.4 to Hollywood insiders for feedback, which gives you an idea about how many drafts there were!  Based on that feedback, we’ll decide whether there needs to be a 7.0 version before she starts pitching the book to financial backers.`

Have you had a lot of say in the re-write? And the ultimate question: will you have any say in the casting process?

Sourcebooks was very supportive during the re-writing process, and they never asked me to do anything to the story that made me unhappy.  In fact, I thought most of their suggestions improved the book.  Since We Hear the Dead is based on real events, it was not a matter of changing the plot so much as trimming out the fat.  I learned a valuable lesson in the process: not everything I learned during my historical research really needs to be in the book!

As for the movie, if the producer finds financing, my role is pretty much over!  I won’t be choosing the title OR the cast … however, my contract does state that I’ll be flown out to the filming site for three days on the set.  I’m more than happy with that!

Ooh...so cool!

I have to ask, what will you be doing on release day?

I’ll be attending a Rotary Club Sweetheart’s Ball at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.  It was actually a Valentine’s Day event that was rescheduled due to one of the 2010 Blizzards. So, on Release Day, I’ll be dressed up pretty and dancing with my husband! Not a bad way to celebrate!

This has been an amazing pleasure, so insightful and encouraging. Thank you for taking the time to share your life and writing experience with us, your fans. Best of luck and can't wait to read the book and see it on the silver screen!! 


Want more of Dianne? Feel free to visit her website and blog, and visit your local bookstore or online store to purchase WE HEAR THE DEAD. Oh, and watch her book trailer below. Really sweet!


http://www.diannesalerni.com
http://diannesalerni.blogspot.com/

LOGO ME THIS

MONSTER MONDAY: EPISODE #16

On a daily basis we are bombarded by LOGOS or catchy phrases attached to some product or idea. There are images representing food and water, carpenter tools to kitchen utensils, tissues, paper plates, sporting gear, fashion, and even toothpaste. 

We've got different languages, colors, font sizes. Ads target social and economic differences, age, and state of mind.

So for today's MONSTER MONDAY EXERCISE, see if you can come up with a LOGO or catchy MOTTO for your current WIP. A phrase, one sentence logline, or even a paragraph. How would you cram the best of what's best about your WIP into a marketable, promo to entice not just readers but...ahh, the snag of an agent?

Example: Disorderly Compact--hunting angels-gone-bad while wearing three-inch heels and scarlet cherry lip gloss.

Just something to make ya' think.

WRITERS WHO CARE

I came across a wonderful post of one writer extending a helping hand to another writer. Ms. J of Little Ms. J blog has asked for our help for a good and worthy fellow writer. Weronika is an amazing eighteen-year-old up and comer in the writing, publishing, and agented world. She recently won a scholarship to attend the Backspace Conference in NYC, but her mother is quite ill and this trip would put more of a financial burden on the family.

If you could, even the slightest, help with her travel expenses so she can take advantage of her well-earned scholarship please click on the link I've provided below. Thoughts and prayers are more than welcomed too. 


Thank you.

Little Ms. J: Send Weronika Away!




UPDATE AS OF 4:16 PM E.S.T. THE MONEY HAS BEEN RAISED. HOW AWESOME!! THANKS TO EVERYONE!

BOOK BLOGGER HOP

BOOK BLOGGER HOP: April 23rd - 29th

Want to find some crazy blogs? Blogs of your interest. Well check out the Book Blogger Hop starting today. Just register your blog, check out others blogs, and have fun. It's a great way to meet other writers and readers. Enjoy!!

GRAFFITI WALL: Kiersten White, PARANORMALCY

Today, the GRAFFITI WALL has the pleasure to host an up and coming YA author. She's all the BUZZ...and she's nice.

KIERSTEN WHITE

Author of Paranormalcy, release date September 21st.

I'm so excited to have you here today, Kiersten. Thank you for adding graffiti to my wall. And to our readers, Kiersten's going to pay a visit in the comment section sometime today.

How long have you been writing? Was it always a passion or a craft you slowly grew to love?

I've always had a passion for reading and writing. For a lot of years I thought I'd write picture books...until I realized that writing picture books is freaking impossible. I think writing a novel is easier than writing a picture book!

I didn't start writing seriously until about five years ago when my husband was in grad school and I was home with a tiny baby. First it was entertainment, and then it was obsession, and now it's a profession. I like the progression!

That's interesting about pictures books. Another topic for another time. And your right, your progression from novice to professional is sweet!

Once you got down in the trenches of writing daily, what was your first impression? Was it a joyous event each day or were there a few plucking the hairs out of your head days? 

My first three real novels were a total rush. I wrote the first drafts in mere weeks, constantly obsessing and thrilled. I haven't been able to have that level of obsession with the last few novels though, and they've definitely felt more like work and less like play most days. But I still get that rush when I think of a really great plot point, or write a flirting scene that I know in my bones works.

However, the more I write, the more fun it is, and the longer I let myself take breaks, the harder it is to get back into it. I never used to be a write-on-a-schedule girl, but I'm leaning more and more that way these days.

We know you're a busy mom, which can complicate things. Is there anything special you do to motivate yourself to write each day?

Writing is my motivation. It's my break from the beautiful monotonies of motherhood. There are certainly days when I'm too tired, or the kids don't go to bed until eleven, or a myriad of other things get in the way, but the longer I go without writing the twitchier I get and the shorter my fuse grows. Having this creative outlet makes me a better mother, and being a mother makes me a better writer. It's a lovely circle.

That it is.

I know this is a silly question but I just have to ask: Coffee or tea? If not, chocolate? The audience wants to know.... 

I can't even stand the smell of coffee, and tea has far, far too little sugar for my raging sugarholic tongue.  I'm a Dr Pepper and chocolate girl.

Ooh, fellow chocoholic. Nice.

Are there any writers who've influenced you and your writing? Did you find a collective ingredient between them?

I would say JK Rowling, who opened up the world of middle-grade and YA to me. I never read them once I got past sixth grade, and rediscovering that entire group of books changed everything. I've been in love with YA ever since.

As far as my actual writing, I admire very, very many authors for their individual styles--Markus Zusak, Neil Gaiman, Lisa McMann, to name only a handful--and hope to have as distinctive but still variable a voice as they've all perfected.

This has been a hot topic lately. What is your take on social media/networking specifically for a writer?

Well, I blog daily and am a Twitter fiend, so obviously I not only think it's important, but I enjoy it. You can't force yourself to do those things if you don't enjoy them, but if you can find a way to make it fun, I think it's invaluable. I've made so many connections and gotten opportunities I never would have otherwise through blogging and Twitter. I think being active and approachable online is especially key for debut authors without anything else for people to connect with.

Great point about being approachable online.

What is the best writing advice you've received that you'd like to pass on to others? One of your own?

It's not very clever, but here is my advice: Work. Writing is work. It's fun and it's wonderful, but if you want to get "there" (wherever that elusive "there" is for you), you are going to have to work. The day I stop learning and trying to improve will be the day I stop writing.

You must be elated about the release of Paranormalcy in September. I know on your blog you've mentioned tidbits of your journey. But specifically with this story, how did it all come about? Was this a washed idea from the past or did it hit you out of the blue?

It hit me completely out of the blue. I'd written two other YA novels, one of which was out on submission. They were both paranormal suspense, without any sort of fantasy elements. A dear friend asked me if I'd ever do vampires, to which I responded absolutely not. And then one day during my son's naptime I figured out the only way I'd ever write a novel with vampires in it--and three weeks later I had a finished draft that ended up not being about vampires really at all.

When the book on submission didn't sell, I spent three months editing PARANORMALCY before sending it to my agent (who is notorious for hating any type of "creatures" in books). When she loved it we both knew we had something special. Sometimes I get all panicky thinking about just how random the whole thing was--what if my son hadn't napped that day?

I shudder to think about it : )

Hah, thank goodness he was. He gets the first piece of party cake at your release. ";-)

The premise of the book is so cool. Could you tell the readers a bit about it? 

Evie is a sixteen-year-old girl working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. They're like the UN, only with Tasers and charged with regulating all of the supernatural creatures of legend that do, in fact, exist.  Because Evie can see through glamours to what paranormals really are underneath, she's invaluable to them.

But she'd rather go to school and drive and have, you know, a boyfriend and stuff than bring in stray vampires and locate hags. So when something starts killing immortal paranormals and she suspects it somehow involves her and a strange faerie prophecy, she's got to decide which is more important to her: figuring out how to be normal, or discovering how to be herself.

Your main character, Evie, is she anything like you?

I think she has a good chunk of my sense of humor. She's definitely very wry and sarcastic. But she's also far more confident than I was at that age, and, for someone who doesn't know who she is, has an excellent sense of self. So maybe we'd be second cousins or something?

Lastly, what are you going to do on Release Day!!

Oddly enough, a big group of really cool YA authors are coming to San Diego on my release day, so I'll probably spend it listening to them. I think it's fitting! And then that weekend, cupcakes! Launch party! And sleeping.

A group of cool YA authors sharing your day with you sounds awesome. Good for you. I'd like to thank you again, Kiersten, for sharing yourself with me so I can share you with our readers. Best of luck to you, Paranormalcy, and the two sequels you have to follow. 

Interested in pre-ordering Paranormalcy? Just click or click on my widget of books for the link.

Kiersten can also be found here:

http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/

Twitter

Facebook

kierstenwhite@yahoo.com

(Feel free to email Kiersten, but if you have a question check her website first. She may have already answered it for you.)

THE GUT BUSTER

BELIEF = CONFIDENCE WHICH CAN GIVE A WHOLE NEW VIEW

Normally Tuesdays are saved for GRAFFITI WALL coverage, sharing an interview with you from a fantabulous new writer or illustrator. I've decided to postpone that until tomorrow when I'll post Kiersten White's interview. Make sure you come back to visit. She's wonderful. But for today, I decided to give you something different, kind of full circle.


I'm sure some of you have had that ...Uh, I think that was supposed to happen...feeling, or maybe ...Yeah, I think I was supposed to hear that...or even see that.

Well, It happened to me the other day and I just have to share it with you. 


I'm walking through our main family room towards the mudroom on my way out to an appointment. On my way, I pass two of my boys lounging on the couch watching some lame teeny bopper show. For some unknown reason I decide to stop and watch for a minute. 


There's this girl on TV acting out a scene in front of her drama class at school. She's dressed in some ridiculous eighteenth-century outfit and wearing a poorly fashioned pair of rimmed eyeglasses, probably referred to as spectacles. She's reciting some poem about a bird--actually a Cockatoo.

The bird has been trained to help her act out the poem. The girl put a ton of effort into this project and it seems she's doing a pretty good job. The bird does everything she asks and she finishes with a classic ending. The class giggles and sniggers a bit, and the teacher stands up from the back of the room.

The girl lifts her arms up saying, "So, how'd I do?"

Teacher's response, "You failed."

The girl freaks. She can't understand why she failed and proceeds with a laundry list of reason why her hard work has value. She finalizes by saying, "I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. I worked hard and this is darn good!"

The teacher and the students clap.

Of course the girl is confused, so the teacher approaches gingerly; the girl is really upset.

He says, "You passed the bird test."

She questions, "Huh?"

"Darla (just to use a female name), the purpose of this exercise was to teach a drama student to TRUST in his or her own instincts and to BELIEVE in one's gut. A true artist is not someone who cares what he or she or he thinks; but the true artist is the one who PLEASES him or herself and those who happen to appreciate it."

DING, DING, DING!! 

Epiphany moment...for that character and for me. 

As a dancer--I've mentioned it briefly in the past; maybe eventually I'll share how close the prospect of making it in New York really was for me, but not now--I never once went to a performance on stage worried. Never ever did I second guess myself. WHY? Because I did it for me. AND ME ALONE. Not in a conceded way but because it was my passion.

WRITING is now my passion.

I want to thank all of you who visited and posted comments on my Freak Out Friday post. You were all awesome.

(My husband was able to take today off and with the kids on school vacation, I've decided to spend a little time with them. I'll check in later, though, to respond to your comments. I just love your comments. Thanks again.)