Secret Web Project Unveiled

Okay guys. I've been chipping away at Secret Web Project trying to get it ready before this month ends, and I'm finally close enough where I feel I can give it a full reveal. So here goes...

I am moving blogs! And turning the blog into a complete author website! With free short stories! And things! And a Twitter!

You guys have no idea how big of a thing this is for me. I started writing novels when I was a pretty young teenager, and I decided to go the whole professional aspiring author route a few years later. So starting out, I was very cautious about how much information I made public. The idea of launching a career seemed like a very important decision that needed to be timed just right.

So for almost five years (!) I blogged away at *Headdesk* developing my bloggers voice, my writing craft, my understanding of the publishing industry, and my connections with people involved in the industry. Through that I become a lot more confident. But I still knew I wanted to wait for the appropriate time before attempting to launch.

When I say launch, I'm not necessarily expecting my career as a novelist to take off just because I got a shiny website and started shopping a manuscript around. Launching, to me, has always been about reaching a stage where my career could take off--where I've reached the level of skill that it's just a matter of time and persistence. There are a few milestones I wanted to make first. Things like being close to graduation, having finished MIRRORPASS, and having started a new novel were all important to me. I wanted to have some experience under my belt and enough momentum to keep rolling.

I'm pretty sure I was driving all my friends and family crazy. But there you go. I waited, they waited, and now, finally, it's time!

That brings me to the other rather important thing about this new website. Content.

I don't know about you guys, but personally, I love reading. I love following an author online and then reading their book. I love following aspiring authors and reading excerpts from their books. I love it when people put up short stories, and snippets of dialogue, or bits from old, trunked novels, because these things catch my eye. And it's always exciting to see a book coming out and already know that I like this author's writing and that I can trust I will like this book.

I always liked these things, but felt limited from doing them myself. With this new website/blog I wanted to build a platform where I could do those things. So a big emphasis of the new site/blog is to reward all the people who've been interested in my writing in the past (hey, Sefi! Hey you guys from my Intro to Audio class! AWers! Mom!) but never really had a chance to read much of it. Now they can.

I won't be self-publishing anything. And I won't be offering anything in e-book or downloadable form. But the site will have plenty of content for everyone who has been interested and kind enough to follow me before I got big.

So what's the site called?

TheFirstReader.wordpress.com

Because, obviously. First readers. People who followed me before I was worth following. That's what the site is geared toward--building an audience off the audience I already have.

So. Any more details worth sharing?

There are a few, such as the launch date, and the launch contest. (THERE IS GOING TO BE A LAUNCH CONTEST GUYS.) But those remaining details are going to come later this week. Muahah.

Also, you can go ahead and try that new site link, but nothing is going to happen. You'll get a little box asking you to log in and you'll be unsuccessful in doing so. I'm sorry. It's going to change soon. I promise.

For now, enjoy this mockup of the new site banner. And see you later this week!

Look. The wings! Are MIRRORPASS-ish! Gah!

Truly and always and launching soon!

-Creative A

Merry Belated Christmas!

I'm sitting here in the tidy, quiet hometown library, wearing snowboots because there are four inches of snow outside, and the promise of more. Finals are well over. We just had Christmas. New Years is only a few days away. I'm ridiculously happy to be home with my family during all these crazy, wonderful, mad mad holidays.

Speaking of madness. I cite my last post:

And now it is December, I have a novel on submission; I'm drafting a new novel that I told myself I could complete in 2012...I miss my family and I went to spend break with them, cooking exotic recipes I found on Pinterest, reading books together, going to see The Hobbit in theater, reconnecting with a cross-country besty, and oh yeah, shooting a short film my sister and I have been brainstorming together.

See that line? That sneaky little line there about the short film thingy?

Well, after writing my last post, I did a lot of thinking and praying. And I decided to jump. But not in the direction I'd been quite expecting. Rather than dive into launching Secret Web Project, I realized I had this opportunity to work on Secret Vintage Murder Mystery Film Project--but only if I did it right now--during Christmas break.

I had about three seconds to make this decision, guys.

But I decided. I jumped. And the last two weeks have been a delightful frenzy of brainstorming, scriptwriting*, location-scouting, prop-shopping, plus recruiting friends and family to act as members of the cast. I'm getting anxious to start the actual FILMING so this stops feeling like I made it all up and starts feeling real, but otherwise, it's going wonderfully.

My only problem is what do to about Secret Web Project. Because I know I want to launch that. (Who knew jumping was so addictive?) And I know I'm almost ready. But really, I would be lying if I said I could launch it next week. I need a few weeks. Which means it won't happen until January.

So I'm still fiddling with the details--to be honest, my brain is all, "Secret Film Project!" right now, and I have about zero mental juices left for Secret Web Project--but sometime in mid to late January is the game plan. January is a good month for new things, I think. Until then, I have a few posts planned, but I expect the blog will be a bit quiet.

Okay? Okay. I'm off to pick up some cast members for a script for a costuming/script rehearsal/hair & makeup party. Enjoy the rest of your holidays, and Happy New Year!


Truly and always,
-Creative A


*I have always been attracted to the idea of scriptwriting, but I always felt, I don't know--intimidated? Too focused on fiction to invest in scriptwriting? Afraid it would mess with my fiction skills? Afraid I'd suck? So anyway, scriptwriting is completely new to me. I had to Google "Scriptwriting syntax." (You know things are bad when you have to Google the syntax of a thing.) But once I got the gist of the syntax, I realized it just wasn't that different. Story is story, you know? I'm really enjoying myself. It's like someone told me, "hey, you like knitting? Have you every tried to crochet? They're very similar."

And Then We Went On Submission

Okay guys. I'm proud to announce that, as of yesterday, MIRRORPASS is finally ready for submission!

Cue the balloons and confetti!

Cue the cheering and squeeing!

Skimming my Google Analytics , I saw over half of you checked in on August 1st, my self-imposed deadline day, looking for news. Wow. Can I say how impressed and humbled I am, how much I appreciate that? It means a lot. I wish I could have announced the good news then, but despite working relentless 10-11 hour days, I simply didn't finish until last night. You guys deserve a gold star all the same.

Right now it still feels surreal, and while I'm waiting for everything to sink in, I'm finalizing my agent research and query personalization. While that's going on, I have some awesome things planned for the blog--including some fun posts, and an absolutely huge contest--but for now I want to leave you with three celebratory things.

Thing one: MIRRORPASS first line!

Once, a long time ago, Aria had dreamed the sky would catch her if she fell.

(But we all know it won't. Muahahah.)

Thing two: the number main song on my MIRRORPASS playlist, the one that really defined the mood and feel for me, and still gives me chills whenever I listen to it--

(For the rest of my MIRRORPASS playlist, you can check out the WIP page.)

Thing three: This old post. More than anything else, this captures how I feel right now--to have finally finished.  To have finally taken this next step.

It has been a long time, she thinks to herself, a long time. She flexes a moment. Runs a finger across those fresh, new voices. They have so much to say. So much for her to absorb...

Somehow it's just like she remembered. It's a world of voices and stories that make her skin tingle and fill her with passion. Its a group of people who are both dreamers and realists, artists and comedians. They take themselves seriously, and they know when to laugh at how silly they are. She loves them all. Craves this world.

The isolation was good for a while, even though the process often felt so futile and basic. And now that she stepped over that hurdle, reached that stage, she's almost surprised to find the dance is still going, girlishly awed that she gets to jump in.

She has a novel.

Finally.

And reaching down, she picks up those pages. Reaching up, she brushes back the errant bangs. She strikes an authorly pose--very artsy, off center, with gritty concrete walls in the background--and then laughs and lets it go and is herself again, just like all the other writers in the room.

"Shall we dance?" she whispers into the book.

It rifles with memories. And finally, they dance.



Truly and always,
-Creative A

Facing the Changes

For the most part, I've kept pretty quiet on this blog about my personal identity. One reason for that is I know a lot about computers and how the web works--it's enough to make the most casual person a bit paranoid. The other reason was, I wanted to focus on creating a blog about the craft of writing, not me.

But a lot of things are changing. I am:

-Getting ready to pursue a writing career

-Better at finding a balanced blogging method

-Going a step further with college education (multimedia this time)

-Moving out of state

And finally, I'm ready. To start developing a writing platform. To bring focus back to the blog. To engage in the other things like multimedia, web design, video, photography, and music that until now I've just played with.

(YAY!)

Ahem. Just had to get that out. So, getting back to the blog here, what does that mean for you guys? In the next couple months I will be:

- Redesigning the visual look of the blog

- Adding pages for my published works

- Revamping the linklists and labels

- Updating the WIP page

It may also include:

- Blogging more often about my writing experiences and the craft of fiction

- Including excerpts of my writing

- Adding pages for video, multimedia, and/or web design

- Providing more accurate bio info

- Hosting contests(!)

Come on, you were excited about the last one, right? Either way, now you've been warned--expect changes.

Truly and always (and personally very excited,)

-Creative A

The Owl Keeper Winner!

So is it just me, or is this contest over? Hmm. Date looks right. The ultra-happy girl in the photo looks about right. I have everyone's entries. What else is missing? Oh yeah. Winners! Better get to that...here goes. Ahem.

I'm proud to announce, the winner of an The Owl Keeper ARC by Chris Brodien-Jones, plus swag, plus the general awesomeness of being a winner is...Lena! Congratulations! Do a happy dance! I'll be sending you an email soon about how to receive your prizes.

Just to remind everyone, the winner was randomly selected using random.org. Thank you all for entering and spreading the word. Here's to awesome books, upcoming weekends, and more contests in the future.

Truly and always,

-Creative A

Last Chance Contest Entry!

Today's the last chance for you to enter my The Owl Keeper ARC and swag giveaway. Just as a reminder, here's the rules:

To enter the contest: comment here (under the original contest post) with at least a name and email address. Those are required. You won't be entered without them.

For extra entries: Pump this contest somewhere on the web, and link back to it if possible.
+2 entries for blog posts
+1 entry for each additional posting on twitter, myspace, facebook, a blog link-list, etc. You can receive an unlimited number of entries.

The contest is open to US only. If you live internationally, but have a US mailing address and would like to be entered, please say so in your comment.

The contest runs for one week starting April 13th and running through Tuesday April 20th (today!)

Winner and prizes: There will be one winner. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, April 21st and will contact them about how to receive their prizes. This includes an ARC of The Owl Keeper, and a swag pack containing: illustrated bookmarks, business cards, a postcard, some illustrated Owl Keeper art, and an original ceramic owl incense holder from Argentina. (See below)

Maxwell Unger has always loved the night. He used to do brave things like go tramping through the forest with his gran after dark. He loved the stories she told him about the world before the Destruction—about nature, and books, and the silver owls. His favorite story, though, was about the Owl Keeper. According to Max’s gran, in times of darkness the Owl Keeper would appear to unite owls and sages against the powers of the dark.

Gran is gone now, and so are her stories of how the world used to be. Max is no longer brave. The forest is dangerous, the books Gran had saved have been destroyed, and the silver owls are extinct. At least that’s what the High Echelon says. But Max knows better. Maxwell Unger has a secret. And when a mysterious girl comes to town, he might just have to start being brave again.

The time of the Owl Keeper, Gran would say, is coming soon.

Events of March

I'm wondering if this is going to become a new *Headdesk* feature. Seems like so much has been happening lately on the blog that I need a whole post to announce it all. Got to admit I'm a little behind on some of this. Lets see how much cool we can pack into today's post!

First off in announcements, I've arranged for four more seriously interview-worthy authors to come talk about their debut books.

On April 13th: Christine Brodien-Jones will speak about the launch of her second YA novel, The Owl Keeper. This is the story of Max, a boy who gets sick in the sun but has come to fear the night, and his journey to find the silver owls that can save his world from darkness.

I'm really excited about this one because I have an Owl Keeper ARC and some truly neat swag for giveaway! More details to come in April.

On April 27th: Leah Cypess will answer some questions about her debut YA novel, Mistwood. They tell Isabel that she's The Shifter, an immortal creature who comes to aid the kings of Samorna in their times of greatest need. And the young king needs her now. But how can Isabel protect him when she doesn't even remember her own past?

On May 25th: Kristin McBride talks about her debut novel, The Tension of Opposites. since the kidnapping of her best friend two years ago, Tessa's life has been in limbo. How could she go on living like nothing had happened, when Noelle's whole life was gone? It changed everything. And then when Tessa gets the news that Noelle has been found, everything will change again.

Make sure to check out the complete Interview Listing for the rest of this year's interviews.

Second announcement of the day: Dorkvader over at The Dork Side just gave me a pretty hilarious blog award as seen below. Dorkvader and I only got acquainted recently, but she's a writer, a student, and I can already tell she's a great gal. Plus she makes me *snortlaugh* about every five seconds, so yeah. She's great! Check out her blog, and she'll probably make you *snortlaugh* too.

The rules of this award are: First, to list 6 things I'm the master of, and second, to pass this award on to 6 people who are masters of friendship. In an effort to branch out and spread the love, I'm going to be a brat and include other kinds of "masters" in my nominations. So in no particular order, here are six bloggers who are masters at what they do.

Three Masters at Friendship:

1 Naomi Rees

2 Chandler Craig

3 Kristen Joy Rice

Master Blogger:

4) Regan Leigh

Master Marketer:

5) Shelli

Master Artist:

6) Sophistikate

Enjoy the award, you guys! To round it all off, here are six things I'm personally a master of:

1) Saying strange things, loudly, in public. "Hey, is the word 'effulgently' real, or did I make it up? Hey, look at that lady. She's mismatched her socks!"

2) Utilizing the color teal. Guess what color my favorite shirt is? Teal. My favorite eyeshadow? Teal. My lampshades? Yup: they're teal.

3) Hunching over my laptop in bad lighting, typing away until wee hours of the morning. I'm so good at this, I give myself back pains. Maybe it's time to invest in an ergonomic chair?

4) Chewing gum. In one week, I can single-handedly use up an entire three-pack of Spearmint Orbit gum. Don't even ask how much I use up when I'm writing. It's scary.

5) Getting songs stuck in my head, singing them aloud, and getting most of the words wrong.

6) Chasing birds. Ever since I was a little kid, I was obsessed with chasing and catching birds. You wouldn't believe how good I've gotten at it. My most epic fail, however, was when my family went on a vacation in Maine and went to the beach at low tide, when you could walk for miles in the ankle-deep water.

A flock of geese were hanging out on a sandbar. Guess what I decided to do? Chase one of the geese. It cooly kept me about three yards away as we ran in endless circles around the flock. My family has not stopped laughing about that one.

Looking forward to everyone else's six items of mastery!

Truly and always,

-Creative A

ARC Contest Winners!

The contests are closed, entries are tallied, and the winners have been randomly chosen. I have here (on two very official slips of paper) the names of those two winners. You ready? Here they are.

The winner of a shiny new ARC of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall is... Christina Farely! Yay Christina! Lauren Oliver will be contacting you soon about how to receive your prize.

And now our second winner, of Teri Hall's (also very shiny) debut novel The Line, is...Angie! Congrats, girl! I'll be emailing you soon about how to receive your prize.

Thanks to everyone who participated for making this such a great contest. You guys are awesome. Also, thanks those of you who Followed; your support and readership is great. Here's to more contests in the future!

Those are all the announcements I have for today. Don't forget to check back the rest of this month, as I still get to interview Alexandra Bracken about "Brightly Woven" and Kimberly Derting about "The Body Finder." Check out my official interview list for more details.

Truly and always,

-Creative A

ARC Giveaways!

I have some awesome news. In roughly one week, Lauren Oliver will appear here on Headdesk to talk about her debut novel, Before I Fall. Two days later, Teri Hall will answer some questions about her debut, The Line. Both of these awesome ladies have agreed to give away one ARC of their books here--on Headdesk!

The rules for both contests are the same:

1: It's a random draw.

2: To enter, you must comment with at least a name and an email address, under the interview in which you want to be entered. Commenting on Teri Hall's interview will not get you entered for Ms. Oliver's Before I Fall. If you don't include an email address and at a name, I won't count you!

3: You can have a maximum of two entries per interview. If you comment, that's one entry. If you blog/myspace/facebook/dig/tweet this contest, that's one more entry. For that to work you must provide a link back to where you pumped the contest. And FYI, save yourself some time: if you comment once, with contact info and a link, that can count as both of your entries. But I have to be able to access the link. Finally, a comment on one interview does not count as an entry to both contests. You have to enter each contest separately.

4: Each contest runs exactly one week. For Before I Fall, that's from March 2 to March 9. For The Line, that's from March 4 to March 11. I will do a random draw of all the eligible commenters. (Those who included a name and email address.)

5: On Saturday March 13 I will announce the winners to both interviews in a single post. I'll send the winners contact information to the author, who will then contact the winner about their prize.

Did you guys get all that? Comment under the interview with a name and email. Maximum of two entries. Contest runs for a week. Winners drawn randomly. Prizes distributed. I'll post a summary of the rules, and contest dates, on the interviews themselves. If anyone has questions or is confused as to how this will work, just go ahead and ask in the comments. (It's really pretty simple. I swear.)

Here's a little blurb of each of the books:

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

In the not so distant future…

Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it’s far from the city where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it’s close to the Line—an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she’s never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It’s a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

Events of February

February has been a quiet month on here, hasn't it? I would have posted sooner--last weekend, actually--but homework got in the way of blogging. I've been doing the antsy-dance all week because I have so many cool things to announce. First off, interviews! Three more amazing authors have agreed to answer some questions here on Headdesk.

We've got Amy Brecount-White, a 2010 debut who will be dropping in February 28th as part of her blog tour and scavenger-hunt contest. Each week, readers can collect a virtual bouquet by picking a single flower from each participating blog, and winners are judged by their bouquets. The tour/contest will kick off Feb 21 at Amy's blog, complete with a blog-stop listing.

In Forget Her Nots, Laurel is trying to start afresh at the Avondale School after the death of her mother. But when Laurel discovers she has the ability to change lives using the secret language of flowers, she'll realize that having the power to make people fall in love is almost as dangerous as falling in love herself.

On March 23rd, Alexandra Bracken will talk about her debut novel, Brightly Woven. This is the story of a young girl, the wizard who wins her, and the journey they take through a world of wars and magic.

Tera Lynn Childs will also be dropping by on May 19th, the launch day for her newest novel, Forgive My Fins. This is the story about what happens when a mermaid princess falls in love with an ordinary human boy.

And for those of you who doubt cover art is important: let me tell you, this cover art grabbed me so hard that I dropped everything and asked Tera for an interview. Seriously! Is it not some of the most lovely cover art ever?

That's all for new interviews, but if you're wondering who else I'll be hosting this year, you can check out my comprehensive interview list. This includes everyone who has or will appear on Headdesk this year, and it will be updated whenever I get news. So give it a read through and a shout-out for the authors you want to hear from, because these people are pretty awesome.

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In other news, Dork Vader over at The Dork Side just gave me my very first blog award! Which is so sweet! And instead of saying thank you, I want to say this: go check out her blog. Really. She's a writer, and very funny, and reading her posts make you feel like you found an old group of friends with whom you can be completely silly. No one will mind either, because they're that cool. Plus it's called The Dork Side. I don't know about you, but I've heard the dork side has cookies. Just a rumor. Anyway, check her out!

Now for the obligatory contest rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within the post.
2. Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by posting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

And here, in no particular order, are the twelve people who I'm giving this award to. Come on and claim your award!

1. To LS over at Beneath The Olive Trees:

to christen your new blog, and for being such a good friend
2. To August at How Faint the Whisper:

for your beautiful poetry, and for being that light who shines in the darkness
3. To WriterKirsty at A Romantic Enters the World:

because although I don't know you that well, I'm awed by your talent and professionalism, and am rooting for you in the journey of publication
4. To Chandler at Fumbling With Fiction:

in recognition of all she's been through, and all she's going to be. Can't wait to see you published, girl.
5. To Sarah Ockler at Making Stuff Up, Writing It Down:

for her amazing debut, her and hilarious blog
6. To the Twifties at Teens Writing For Teens:

because you guys are so inspiring, and I'm rooting for you all the way!
7. To Angela at The Bookshelf Muse:

because you don't deserve one award, you deserve two :)
8. To Amanda Plavich at A Wannabe Writer's Blog:

in honor of new friendships, and the pursuit of writing
9. To GirlyJordyn at My Almost Life:

because I love your blog, and I admire you perseverance
10. To Lenore at Presenting Lenore:

because even though I don't know you that well, I love your honest reviews
11. To Beth Revis at Writing it Out:

who I have a huge amount of respect for, and whom I secretly think is going to rock the book world one of these days
12. To Jody Hedlund at On The Path:

who may have won this already, but who truly deserves to win it again. Thanks for being such a strong witness.

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I know this is a lot for one post, but I have one more thing to say. Elana Johnson is throwing a query critique contest at her blog, which starts today and ends Feb 22. The great thing about this contest? Five amazing literary agents will be critiquing the winner's query, and I quote:

1. Kate Testerman-Shafer of KT Literary (critique will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne)
2. Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates
3. Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency
4. Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency
5. Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

How cool is that! To enter, you need to become a follower of Elana's blog, a follower of Shelli at Market My Words, and you need to fill out the official entry form. It's a bit much, but Shelli is hosting contests all through February, so following her for Elana's contest will count over there, as well. You can rack up extra points by tweeting or blogging *cough cough* about the contest.

Right now I'm in what I call my "emergence" stage which comes after writing a novel, where I try to get back in gear and reacquaint myself with the professional writing world, so I'm entering. Anyone else taking the plunge?

Truly and always,

-Creative A