Contest call

Hey guys! I just wanted to do one last post here on *Headdesk* reminding everyone that my launch contest on the new blog ends THIS THURSDAY. So now is pretty your last chance to enter for these books:

Good luck, entrants! Hope to see you guys over on the new blog.
Truly and always,
-Creative A

Winners

If you love books



Particularly, these kinds of books


And your dreams look something like this


And you heartily agree

Then you would probably love to win a signed copy of Karen Duvall's new Young Adult novel, KNIGHT'S CURSE.

And if your name is Claire L. Fishback...

Then you won!

Yay!

Claire, I'll be emailing the details of how to receive your prize. Thanks everyone for participating!


Truly and always,
-Creative A

Guest Post and Giveaway With Karen Duvall

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED TO ENTRIES

Winners to be announced this weekend.



Last week I announced that Karen Duvall would be joining us today to share the tale of her publication journey, and give away a signed copy of her newly released Urban Fantasy, KNIGHT'S CURSE. (See contest details at the bottom of this post.)

I've known Karen for a while, and read excerpts of KNIGHT'S CURSE way before it was published. I even interviewed her in 2009. The cool thing is, she had written KNIGHT'S CURSE back then and was looking into publishing it. So if you ever want some encouragement, go read that post--then come back, and read this. Because she has definitely had a fascinating journey, and it's amazing to see how far KNIGHT'S CURSE has come.

So now, without further ado...Mrs. Karen Duvall!

From Small Press to Big Press: My Publication Journey

The road to publication has been a long and winding one with lots of steep hills and deep valleys. Creative A interviewed me for her blog almost two years ago, and though my writing process hasn't changed, my publication status has. I'm here to share the lessons I've learned since my first published book with a small press over a decade ago.

I've been writing fiction for a very long time, and like most new writers, I had to balance being a full time working mom with my passion for telling stories. I started out writing short fiction, using the short story form as a tool to teach me a few basic lessons in craft. It wasn't until I wrote my first book that I realized the long form and the short form are drastically different from each other.

After completing that first manuscript, I was hooked on writing novels. My first book never saw the light of day (thank God), but it did make its way into the hands of an agent, who tried her best to find it a home. Unfortunately, the book suffered from just about every writing flaw you can think of, and editors passed so fast the signatures on the rejection letters were barely dry before going through the mail. That's right, snail mail. Email at that time was not yet the communication method of choice for the publishing community.

So if the manuscript was so bad, why did an agent choose to represent it? Well, the agent was about as new to agenting as I was to writing books. She's quite successful now, represents mostly nonfiction (perhaps her experience with my disaster was the catalyst for the switch), but she was too green to recognize a bad book and I was too naïve to realize that's what I'd written.

Lessons learned:

1) Hone your craft and have your work vetted through critique partners before trying to find an agent or publisher.
2) Research the agents you want to approach and only take on a seasoned professional.

I then joined Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a professional organization for writers of commercial novel-length fiction. It's been one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I still belong to that group to this day. I joined a critique group within the organization, attended numerous workshops, read lots of books on writing, and made sure to never, ever miss the Colorado Gold Writers' Conference every year. And I wrote another book.

I wrote this new book applying all the great knowledge I'd accumulated through RMFW and my critique group. Though I got some interest from agents with my supernatural thriller, I found a traditional small publisher, Speculation Press, who loved the book and wanted to publish it. I was over the moon with joy. I received a small advance, was paid to design my own cover (I'm a professional graphic designer), and the book came out less than a year later. The title of that book: PROJECT RESURRECTION.

I loved my publisher, and we're still good friends to this day, but I found a number of problematic issues associated with small press publication. The press was relatively new, had very limited distribution, and the book was only available on Amazon.com. This was before ebooks took off as a viable publishing format, so the book could only be purchased in trade paperback.

Lessons learned:

1) Distribution is important and vital to healthy sales.
2) Self promotion is exhausting and isn't always effective, but it helped me learn what works and what doesn't.

I wrote another book, got an agent who didn't work out, shelved the book, and wrote a new one. DESERT GUARDIAN was a romantic suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press as an ebook and also in trade paperback. TWRP is a decent ebook publisher, but they publish lots of books, and at the time my book came out, they didn't do much in the way of marketing. Therefore, the book got limited distribution and back in 2006, ebooks had yet to hit their stride.

Lessons learned:

1) A publisher that churns out hundreds of books a month may not have the time or inclination to back each and every title.
2) Small presses are a good launching pad for the learning experience, but--for me--not the best choice when aiming for a writing career.

At this point, I had to make a do or die decision. I needed a goal, and that was to make a sustainable living by writing books. I changed my game plan and was determined to find a good agent to represent my career. I decided to no longer consider the small press option. I stuck to my guns and found an amazing, successful, and dedicated agent to represent me and my latest project at the time, KNIGHT'S CURSE.

My agent sold KNIGHT'S CURSE to Harlequin Luna in a two-book deal. The second book in the series is called DARKEST KNIGHT and will be out in the spring of 2012. The third book is still in negotiation.

Being published by a large press, especially one as big as Harlequin, is a whole new ball game. And I love this game. I love my editor, her assistant, the marketing department, and all the amazing steps and processes of this professional publisher that's known worldwide. It's now clear to me that my long and arduous journey was well worth the effort.

Lesson learned: Persistence pays off big time.

There's quite a bit happening for me at the moment that I'm not at liberty to discuss, but I'm pleased to report it's all good. I'm going to be a very busy writer and that's perfectly fine with me. I say "bring it on!" Writing is my career now and I couldn't be happier.

You can help me celebrate by entering a contest to win a signed copy of KNIGHT'S CURSE. Good luck!


Karen Duvall is a native Californian who grew up in Hawaii, lived in Colorado most of her adult life, and now lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband and four incredibly spoiled pets. She has three grown children and five grandchildren.

Karen has been telling stories since the age of three, when she wasn’t yet able to write but could tell her tales to her mother, who wrote them down for her. Illustrating the stories with crayons was one of her favorite parts of writing those early books.

She still draws pictures, but put her crayons away in favor of computer graphics. Karen is a professional graphic designer with a passion for portraying her characters and scenes by painting pictures with words. You can learn more about Karen and Knight's Curse by visiting any of these locations:

Goodreads
Amazon
Harlequin
Karen's blog



CONTEST DETAILS:

• Leave a comment on this post with your email and a contact name. Due to author request, you must have a mailing address in the Continental U.S.
• The contest will run for one week.
• There will be one winner, chosen at random using the lovely Random.org generator service.
• The winner will be announced here, on my blog, within a few days of the contest closing; and I’ll be emailing the winner for their mailing address.
• Then, future winner, you will be on your way to receiving a SIGNED copy of Knight’s Curse.
• Yay!
  

Entries now open.


Truly and always,
-Creative A

Coming Next Week: Guest Post and Giveaway!

Take a long look at that pretty, pretty cover. It belongs to KNIGHT'S CURSE, the brand new Urban Fantasy novel by my long-time friend and fellow Graphic/Web Designer, Karen Duvall. I interviewed her about KNIGHT'S CURSE in 2009. Now that it's out, I'm excited to get to introduce it to you!

Here's the blurb:

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

KNIGHT'S CURSE is Karen's debut title with LUNA Books, and features a hauntingly mysterious heroine, an intriguing world filled with magic and danger, and a writing style sure to appeal to fans of J.R. Ward, C.E. Murphy, and Mercedes Lackey.


I was so excited to hear about KNIGHT'S CURSE, I made Karen agree to come on over and give a guest post about her publishing journey and the lessons she learned along the way--which are some awesome lessons, considering she's had more than one agent, and been published in small press as well as large.

Because Karen is awesome, she's offering one signed copy of KNIGHT'S CURSE here on Headdesk!

So check in next week for the guest post and an opportunity to enter. Until then, you can find more information about Karen and KNIGHT'S CURSE at these locations:

Goodreads
Amazon
Harlequin

Read an excerpt (via Harlequin)
Visit Karen's blog


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.

The Owl Keeper: Giveaway and Interview!

Today's interview is with Christine Brodien-Jones about her newest YA novel, The Owl Keeper. Commenters on this post could win an ARC of The Owl Keeper and a great pack of Owl Keeper swag. Contest details are below.

The Owl Keeper summary:

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.

To enter the contest: comment under this interview 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. That means starting today--April 13th--and running until next Tuesday--April 20th.

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.

Sounds pretty awesome, right? I am in love with this cover art, and I had a great experience working with the author on her interview. Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of her book.

Hey Christine! Tell us a little about yourself as a writer – do you outline, or wing it? Do you write daily, or in snatches?

Being a slow, dreamy sort of writer, I need long stretches of time to write. I love the process of creating fresh, quirky characters, and being slowly pulled into their world. When I’m writing, I forget everything else. Usually I write from early morning (ideally after having been for a long walk) to late afternoon. Weekends are for catching up with the rest of my life.

Throughout my writing career, I’ve struggled with plots and endings. Early on, I never outlined my books: instead I would plunge in, starting with a weird character, quirky premise or evocative setting. Invariably, at some point midway, the plot would get more and more tangled and then the story would implode. This was due to the fact that I had no idea where my book was going!

In recent years I’ve gotten more organized: rough outlines of characters, plot and ending to begin, and filling in more details as the book evolves. I try to keep the outline flexible. You have to balance, between a story that holds together and one that isn’t too calculated. Compelling characters need room to breathe and be spontaneous.

When – and why – did you begin writing?

I wanted to be a writer from the age of seven, when I wrote my first short story, a ten-page fantasy called “Leo the Dragon.” My mom was my first “agent,” typing it up and sending it to children’s magazines. And my dad read books and the Sunday funnies out loud to me. The library was around the corner from my house and I spent hours getting lost inside books. I was fortunate to have teachers who encouraged me to write down all those stories bottled up inside my head, and numerous mentors along the way.

The Owl Keeper is actually your second book for middle-grade readers. What’s your publishing experience been like, between your debut The Dreamkeepers, and this new novel?

I sold THE DREAMKEEPERS without an agent, which happened more frequently then than it does now. Believe it or not, my publisher, Macmillan, was still using typewriters in its offices! Promoting my book in 1992 consisted of school/library visits, book-signings and local interviews. Online promotion and networking were years into the future.

The year after my book came out Macmillan went bankrupt and my editor moved on. I continued writing – and submitting – novels to publishers, but with college looming ahead for our two sons, I decided to take a fulltime teaching job. That left little free time to write.

The turning point came in 2006, when my husband Peter encouraged me to quit working and write. It was kind of scary, a sort of now-or-never leap. A few months later I signed on with Stephen Fraser of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. He loved THE OWL KEEPER and promised to find the perfect home for it. And he did, with Krista Marino, a senior editor at Random House/Delacorte Press. I’m really fortunate to have them both, because they’ve made all the difference.

What was your process writing this book? What did you have trouble with, and what inspired you?

When I started writing THE OWL KEEPER in November 2001, just after September 11^th, the world felt terribly bleak. I wanted to write a story about hope. Before falling asleep at night I would see this young boy in a forest without colors, standing beneath a tree. On a branch overhead perched an owl with a broken wing. Nearby was a dark rushing river, and a path alongside it. Max was going to have to follow that path: his story, I realized, would be a journey.

The manuscript went through numerous revisions, and emerged a very different book by the end. In the first draft Max was searching for long-dead ghosts who haunted the pathways along the river, but for some reason they never quite gelled. Eventually I had to let them go.

Having Krista for an editor was like taking an intensive writing course! She really helped me breathe life into Max and make him a sympathetic character that readers could relate to. Also she helped me develop the framework of the story and pull all the loose ends (there were plenty of those!) together.

In The Owl Keeper, your main character Max is allergic to sunlight and only comes out at night. I think that’s a really cool way of flipping things on their head. Could you talk to us about that? Why choose this particular disability?

Around that time I read an article in The New York Times about certain children who are unable to tolerate ultraviolet light. I also saw the film “The Others,” a Gothic tale about two children who are fatally allergic to sunlight. To give THE OWL KEEPER a twist I went on to create a hero who must avoid the light. Max loves the dark, and spends his nights beneath the owl tree, yet at the same time he carries a special light within him – I guess you could call it hope.

Of course there is another kind of darkness: ancient evil forces that are taking over Max’s world and destroying everything he loves. Sickly and timid, Max is an unlikely hero. Yet at some point he must become brave and summon up the power to fight the dark forces.

How do you deal with criticism, and rejection?

I try to accept the useful criticism and ignore the rest. Over the years I received letters from editors who rejected my manuscripts yet took the time to explain how I could improve my writing. Often their advice was extremely beneficial. Being rejected is always difficult (I cringe remembering those fat manila envelopes landing on my doorstep, signaling the return of yet another manuscript), but you can’t take it personally. You have to be philosophical, and believe in yourself, and keep writing.

Here on Headdesk, I have a minor obsession with the rules of writing. Is there any particular rule you write by?

Beware of clichés. Don’t overwrite. Avoid overly long passages of description. Make every word count.

If knew you a teenager who aspired to be a novelist, what would you say to them?

To paraphrase British crime author Ian Rankin: read lots, write lots, learn to be self-critical and what criticism to accept, be persistent, have a story worth telling, don’t give up.

My advice is to write every day. Keep a notebook/journal to record moments, overheard conversations, fleeting impressions & emotions. Open your mind to new experiences. Be passionate about what you write. Trust your reader; not everything has to be explained. Respect your characters, even minor ones. Write honestly. Believe in your creativity.

How have you grown as a writer, and how do you hope to see yourself grow in the future?

The years between my two books were in some ways like an old-fashioned apprenticeship, where I continued to write and polish and streamline my novels. I also learned never to give up.

As for the future, I’d like to think I’m ready for anything, because each new story presents different challenges. I hope to continue writing novels for young people, ages ten and up. I hope I can fire their imaginations and help them appreciate and treasure the amazing power of stories.

What’s next for Christine Brodien-Jones?

I’m currently working on an adventure-fantasy novel set in Morocco, in the Sahara Desert, which Random House/Delacorte Press will also be publishing. The narrator of this book is a feisty young girl named Zagora.

Thanks for coming, Chris!

Christine Brodien-Jones is the author of two fantasy novel for young adults, THE DREAMKEEPERS and THE OWL KEEPER. She lives in a tumbledown seaside house with her husband in Gloucester, Massachusetts - the oldest seaport in the country. You can learn more about Chris on her website and her blog.

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

Last Chance Contest Entry!

Today is your last chance to enter for an ARC of Lauren Oliver's "Before I Fall". Hurry up, people! Go go go!

However, the good news is that you still have two hole days to enter Teri Hall's contest, and win a shiny, brank-spanking new ARC of her debut, "The Line." Winners for both contests will be announced on March 13.

Here are a few more incredible contests you should check out:

DUAL CONTEST:

Elana: Fantabulous Followers Giveaway Ends March 14th

Elana Johnson is holding a followers giveaway, where entrants have to follow her blog, as well as Suzette/Bethany's blog. Winners could receive personalized copies of new YA books "Gone," "The Secret Year," "Captivate," "Hush, Hush," "Prophecy of the Sisters," "Bleeding Violet," and "The Naughty List."

Suzette/Bethany: Fantabulous Followers Giveaway Ends March 14th

In accordance with Elana, Suzette/Bethany are holding a followers giveaway, where entrants have to follow their blog, as well as Elana's. Winners could recieve a 40-page submission and critique from lit agent Suzie Townsend, a "The Body Finder" swag pack, a copy of "The Host," a copy of "How to Write the Great American Romance," and a box of gourmet Enstroms Toffee.

How crazy awesome are those two contests?

Grand Opening Contest: runs until March 15th

In honor of moving her Wordpress blog to Blogspot, Kirsten at A Romantic Enters The World is giving away multiple prizes: guest post on her blog, query/five page critiques, and of course, books--Shiver, The Hunger Games, Writing the Breakout Novel, The Eyre Affair, Bird By Bird--are all up for grabs.

Everyone say "Ooh."

Incarceron Contest: runs until March 15th

Sharon over at Sharon Loves Books and Cats is giving away one copy of Incarceron, with some assorted Incarceron swag.

The Pre-Release Day Contest: runs until March 16th

Alexandra Bracken (who I will be interviewing on March 23!) is celebrating the upcoming release of her debut novel, "Brightly Woven," by throwing an enormous contest with a pretty darn awesome prize pack. They include a copy of her own novel "Brightly Woven", bookstore giftcards, swag, and ARCS/copies of seven other YA book titles.

Iron King Contest: runs until March 19th

The Story Siren is giving away two copies of "The Iron King," and this one is open to international readers.

I don't know about you guys, but I have been amazed by the slew of contests going around lately. Anyone else hosting a good contest we should all know about?

-Creative A