Post Tagged with: "STERLING"

Happy 2013!!

Happy 2013!!

A year ago I wondered if I’d ever finish STERLING, or have it in me to take it all the way. I now officially have a critique partner, Sarah, who I met on Nathan’s forums and a real drive to put this on print.  One of the things that’s helped me is the network I’ve made on twitter of both aspiring writers and debut writers who are still unknown to the general public. One of those little ladies is Lindsay Cummings, whose debut book, THE MURDER COMPLEX, comes out next year! She is doing this awesome giveaway to celebrate the new year AND the one year mark until her book is published.  Way too much good stuff to give away! Check out the contest and Lindsay!

http://lindsaycummingsblog.blogspot.com

I’m finishing up my first book for Silverwood Books, and it’s definitely different than anything I’ve ever read before. The blog tour kicks off at the end of February with yours truly. I’m also going to be interviewing the author for it too! Once that book is reviewed I can take advantage of the B&N gift card my brother got me for Christmas (Boundless is going to be my first purchase!!!!) since with a temporary fall in income I’ve had to cut books out of my budget. It’s okay! New job to begin shortly!!

-AB

January 2, 2013 0 comments
The neglectful blogger

The neglectful blogger

Oh, have I been awful about this blog lately. Really, there is no excuse. Well, there is kind of.

In September I was informed by boss (who lives in Florida) that something happened with the company and he was getting rid of everyone, and I’d be “on contract” until he could afford to hire me back. His “heads up” was one whole pay period. Not helpful. So I’ve literally not been buying books, which is ridiculously, but true. My GoodReads to-read list is piling up like WHOA and I can’t even afford freaking $10 for an ebook.

“Go to a library,” you say. I KNOW that, but the library closest to me SUCKS and to “go” anywhere in L.A. is such a hassel. That, and there are waiting lists MILES long for the good book — even their ebook list, which I’ve been on FOREVA.

So the past months have been me scraping by with my job at the barn. I ALMOST got the Sickest. Job. In. The. World. but they “froze” hiring. I DO have another awesome job opportunity, but it won’t start until January and it won’t be full pay right away.

In writing news, I’m back to editing. Again. This will be the last round, I SWEAR. What happened to NaNoWriMo you ask? Well, I was sick for two weeks and if I wasn’t wanting to die at work I was curled up in my bed in complete darkness. Then I was away at a horse show and you tell me if you could write sharing a room with four people after working 12 hour days. No? Didn’t think so.

In reading news, I was asked by UK based Silverwood Books to be on their book review team, which is AWESOME. Silverwood is an alternative to self-publishing and everyone really needs to check out their website. I can promise you I will be buying (and reading) Boundless the DAY it comes out even if I need to borrow the money from my Dad.  My first review for Silverwood (it’s a PIRATE book!) comes out at the end of February!

All right, its 2:30am and I need to work in a few hours.

-A

December 8, 2012 0 comments
The Pitch

The Pitch

I haven’t been reading and reviewing, mainly because I’ve been writing. I thought I was happy with my manuscript but I went to go another “once over” and just found myself changing sentences and changing a name of a character. The one thing I have solid is the last part of my query letter. My pitch. And I’ve finally decided to share it.

Sterling throws out the halos and white wings and revisits one of the oldest rivalries in existence. Only this time, when the demons rise and the angels fall from grace, the only one left to lead the side of Good, is the girl who had all but abandoned it.

September 10, 2012 0 comments
On Leave

On Leave

So after talking it over on the NB forums, I’ve decided to let The Book sit for a while.  I had gotten to the point where I really couldn’t stand to look at it anymore and I had no drive to do anything with it.  I’m not sure exactly when I’ll finish editing it; I don’t want to put a time frame on my mentality.  Instead I’m going to go back to The-First-Attempt-Book and start over. Completely.  I had over 80,000 words in the draft I had been working on, but it just wasn’t very good.  It’s not really the plot I’m worried about, or making it worthy of being a published novel.  It’s all about the characters I created and abandoned.  I want to finish their story.  I need to finish their story. It concerns me when they pop in my head.  When I see someone who looks just how I pictured them, or hear something that reminds me of their story.  So for now, that’s what I’m going to be doing.  As for The Book — I’m not worried.  It’ll get done when it gets done.

July 24, 2012 0 comments Read More
I’m done. No, for real this time.

I’m done. No, for real this time.

Obviously I’m not done done.  It’s a book. It’s never truly done until it goes to printing.  But as for the story having a beginning, end and everything that goes in between…my book is done.  I was so determined to finish it by this past Monday but I was just stuck at the transition to the last scene.  Sometimes my imagination gets ahead of the rational part of my brain and although this is fantasy, it needs to at least make sense within the world I’ve created.  I can’t just make up something to fit my need of transition without threading into the story somehow.  I sat on the phone and talked it out with my mom who is extremely rational and logical until I had something I could work with, and between last night and tonight I finished it.

I sent it back to my mom again before I have someone else read it.  There are notes I have written down of things I need to remember to insert or see if I need to insert them or not.  I forgot being raised religious the stories from the bible aren’t second nature to most people, but I also don’t want to overkill the explanations.  Then I need to polish it.  Polish it real good.

And while I’m in the above process, I’m going to begin on my query letter.  Oh, I’m so scared.  An actor friend argued with me that getting a literary agent is like getting a talent agent.

Uh no.

I just spent close to a year writing one book and now someone needs to like THIS ONE BOOK.  A talent agent needs to like you as a person and your potential to act in any number of jobs that come across the table in the future.  No one, unless they are already known (think celebrity, tv personality, business personality), gets signed to a literary agency without a book.  A finished book.

What is this query letter I keep rambling on about?  I don’t even want to explain.  You can read more here.

Back to my hermit cave.

May 19, 2012 1 comment Read More