June 28, 2009 • Comments

My latest interview with Nisha Sharma

June 23, 2009 • 4 Comments

I’m not a good blogger at the moment, I tell myself I will blog at least once or twice a week then somehow the time just goes. Who knew that July is just around the corner?????? Watch out because Christmas will be here soon…..

But before then we have some exciting things coming up. In eight weeks (hence being back on WW points) it’s the RWNZ conference. It’s going to be awesome. We have Mary Jo Putney as key note, as well as Melissa Jeglinski from the Knight Agency. Amanda and I are also doing a workshop, which will be huge amounts of fun (at least, that’s the plan and it was last year), and I’m also MC for the conference this year (hence the WW points because my ‘best’ black pants are a tad on the tight side - okay, make that so tight the button hasn’t a hope in hells chance of doing up).

Then, in September,  we’re hoping to get away to Australia for a two week, don’t talk to me I’m reading a book a day and sitting in the sun vacation! Can’t wait.

Hope you’re all having a good Summer/Winter depending on where you are in the world!

June 15, 2009 • 9 Comments

I am beyond excited to tell you that one of my CPs, the fabulous Christina Phillips (in the middle of the photo between me and Amanda) has signed with an awesome agent. Christina is the most amazing writer ever and the book she’s been signed with is one of the best she’s written (if not the best) I LOVE it so much.

So watch out because this girl is going to make it big…… as in HUGE!!!!!!!

So pop over to her blog to congratulate her. And remember….. you heard it here first….. unless you’ve already been over to her site, Amanda’s site or Pat’s site, of course (I’m a few hours late to the party, but a girls gotta sleep).

Other news, I’m having a Meg Cabot reading fest. Wow, she’s an awesome writer such a light touch, real page turning stuff!

I’m also writing up a storm myself at the moment, thanks to the constant kicks in the butt my delightful CPs have seen fit to give me

May 31, 2009 • 11 Comments

I’m back from the UK and thrilled to bits that my first post is touring fellow TFCer Melissa Walker’s latest book Lovestruck Summer. I can’t wait to read it. If it’s anything like Melissa’s Violet series I know it’s going to be a fabulous read.

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER is the story of Quinn, an indie rock girl who came out to Austin, Texas for a music internship. She also plans to spend long, lazy days in the sun at outdoor concerts–and to meet a hot musician or two. Instead, she’s stuck rooming with her sorority brainwashed cousin, who now willingly goes by the name “Party Penny.” Their personalities clash, big time.

But Sebastian, a gorgeous DJ, definitely makes up for it. Sebastian has it all: looks, charm, and great taste in music. So why can’t Quinn keep her mind off Penny’s friend cute, All-American Russ and his Texas twang?

Sebastian is the kind of guy Quinn wants, but is Russ the guy Quinn needs? One thing’s certain: Quinn’s in for a summer she’ll never forget!

Now for the questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
A trip to Austin made me want to set a romance in that musical city!

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I love the first teenage love. I mean, who doesn’t? It’s so intense, and usually bittersweet in the end. But the memories: FOREVER.

What is your writing process like?
I read blogs for like two hours, write for 1/2 an hour, spend another hour reading blogs, get mad at myself. Write more. Break for lunch. (Sounds just like me!)

What are you working on now?
I have a new book idea, but I can’t tell yet! I wish I could.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I read, I do yoga, I hang out with my friends, I travel. Upcoming trips: Florida, New Orleans, Rhode Island and finally Vermont for my wedding! (That photo is from a 20s-themed wedding I went to this spring. It was FUN.)

Who do you like to read?
Oh, everyone! I love reading books by people I know the best. I like sneakily looking for their personality quirks in the pages of the book. I’m reading THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han right now and LOVING it. I can hear Jenny’s voice at some parts. Weird, I know, but I enjoy it.
PS-For a chance to win Lovestruck Summer, plus 3 other great beach reads, your readers can go to iheartdaily.com/Harper2009.html

ABOUT MELISSA:
A former editor at ELLEgirl and Seventeen magazines, Melissa Walker knows her indie rock. She hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She loves talking about books, fashion, magazines and all kinds of pop culture. Visit her at melissacwalker.com or on iheartdaily.com.

May 10, 2009 • 7 Comments

Because I won’t be around for a while, until the end of May to be precise. One more sleep and then I’m off until the end of May. I’m going back to the UK to catch up with family and friends. The plane journey is horrendous. An hour to Auckland, then a 4 hour wait then from NZ to LA (12 hours), then a 2 hour wait, then LA to UK (12 hours), then car to my parents (3 hours). We’re in transit for over 30 hours. The only plus is all the movies I can watch on the plane!

We’ve lived in New Zeland for nearly 8 years and moving here was the best decision we ever made. It truly is the most fabulous place ever to live.  The weather, the awesome scenery, the easy going way of life….. I could go on all day!

The only problem is missing Idol! But I’m setting up my dvd to record it - providing TVNZ stick to the same sceduling that they have done so far.

On the plus side, I will be able to watch the Eurovision Song Contest which is on while I’m there.

I doubt I’ll be doing any writing while I’m way…. well, when I say doubt I mean definitely, seeing as I’m not taking my laptop or anything to work on. I will take my note book though in case I get any ideas! And i’m also taking Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat which I intend to study with my highlighter pen!!

so, happy writing, reading, or doing whatever you’re doing and I’ll see you again in June

May 4, 2009 • Comments

I’m thrilled to be touring fellow Flux author Lucienne Diver and her book Vamped, which I’m hanging out to read, it sounds so funny.

Brief excerpt and description

From “Valley Vamp Rules for Surviving Your Senior Prom” by VAMPED heroine Gina Covello:

Rule #1: Do not get so loaded at the after prom party that you accidentally-on-purpose end up in the broom closet with the surprise hottie of the evening, say the class chess champ who’s somewhere lost his bottle-cap lenses and undergone an extreme makeover, especially if that
makeover has anything to do with becoming one of the undead.

Gina Covello has a problem. Waking up a dead is just the beginning. There’s very little she can’t put up with for the sake of eternal youth and beauty. Blood-sucking and pointy stick phobias seem a small price to pay. But she draws the line when local vampire vixen Mellisande gets designs on her hot new boyfriend with his prophecied powers and hatches a plot to turn all of Gina’s fellow students into an undead army to be used to overthrow the vampire council.

Hey, if anyone’s going to create an undead entourage, it should be Gina! Now she must unselfishly save her classmates from fashion disaster and her own fanged fate.

Now for my questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
The fact that my first draft didn’t have one…not really…and I needed a plot in order to actually sell my work . Okay, that’s not entirely true. It had a plot. Protagonists and antagonists, internal and external conflict and all that jazz, but I let my characters get carried away and the storyline got away from me. My first draft was about 80% voice, which is the part that comes easily to me, 20% plot, which isn’t. With enough blood, sweat and tears, though, I eventually, five or ten drafts down the line, came up with something worth pitching.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I didn’t so much decide as have my protagonist spring fully formed into my head. She was a teen fashionista turned vamp and horrified by the very idea of eternal life without tanning options. She’d put in a full day of extreme shopping to find just the right dress for graduation and now she wasn’t even going to get to walk down that aisle. I felt for her! Her story just naturally leant itself to YA.

What is your writing process like?
As you can tell from my answer to question #1, I’m a bit of a pantser, as opposed to a plotter. I generally have my characters very well developed in my head and only a general idea of where I want to take them, which is why I end up with so many drafts. Lately, I’ve gotten smarter about that and about plotting things out, at least the major points, to be sure that the pacing is there and the suspense/action never flags.

I’m also a hand-writer. My first draft is always done on a notebook. I change things as I type them into the computer, so by the time I hit “save,” I have what amounts to a second draft. Unfortunately, I can’t write creatively on a keyboard. I also can’t edit on screen. I wish I could, but I try to be as green as possible. I’ll print out my drafts on the back of earlier drafts and reuse every piece of paper I can. When I can’t use them any longer, they’re off to the recycling center.

What are you working on now?
A middle grade idea that’s been talking at me for some time. It’s a very different voice from Vamped, but one I’m just as intrigued with. Still has that new idea smell.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a literary agent! I work with over forty fabulous authors of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, suspense and romance. I’m a voracious reader. If I have any time after reading, writing, hanging out with my family and sleeping, I bead.

Who do you like to read?
All of my authors (David B. Coe, Marjorie M. Liu, Susan Krinard, Faith Hunter, Rachel Caine, Debra Mullins, etc.)! Plus Janet Evanovich, Joshilyn Jackson, Sharyn McCrumb, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Stewart, Laurell K. Hamilton…. I could go on all day and not come to the end!

What people are saying:
“VAMPED is a total delight! Diver delivers a delightful cast of undead characters and a fresh, fast take on the vampire mythos. Next installment, please!” — Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series

“I really sunk my teeth into Lucienne Diver’s VAMPED. A fun, frothy, teenage romp with lots of action, a little shopping, and a cute vampire guy. Who could ask for more?” — Marley Gibson, author of GHOST HUNTRESS: The Awakening

“This book rollicked along, full of humor, romance, and action. Gina is a smart-aleck heroine worth reading about, a sort of teenage Besty Taylor (Undead and Unwed) with a lot of Cher Horowitz (Clueless) thrown in. Fans of Katie Maxwell will devour “Vamped.” — Rosemary Clement-Moore, author of the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series

“Move over Buffy! Lucienne Diver transfuses some fresh blood into the vampire genre. Feisty, fashionable and fun–Vamped is a story readers will sink their teeth into and finish thirsty for more.” —Mari Mancusi, author of The Blood Coven Vampires series

Bio
Lucienne Diver is a long-time book addict who went to work for NYC’s Spectrum Literary Agency fifteen years ago to feed her habit. Recently, she traded in her high-rise for a lake view. She now lives in Florida and works for The Knight Agency . Through various play-dates and in various coffee bars, on the backs of envelopes, carry-out bags and anything else within reach, including, sometimes, her checkbook, she’s penned the serio-comic tale of what happens when a young fashionista goes from chic to eek.

Websites:
Publisher: www.fluxnow.com
Author: www.luciennediver.com
Author blog: http://varkat.livejournal.com