Cover Reveal for WISHING FOR WASHINGTON!

I announced a few posts ago that I have a middle grade novel coming out called WISHING FOR WASHINGTON. And that's basically all I announced.

So, without further delay, here's everything else about WISHING FOR WASHINGTON! Starting with... the cover:

Isn't it pretty? It's all thanks to Steven Novak of Novak Illustration! He's got some amazing skills! (You can click on the image for a larger version, if you'd like.)

So, what's WISHING FOR WASHINGTON all about? Here's the summary:

As punishment for playing doorbell ditch, twelve-year-old Tallia Thompson and her goofball brother Isaiah are shipped off to their grandparents’ house for half the summer. There’s nothing fun about being stuck in Maryland, a.k.a. Snore-a-land, except for one thing: the close proximity to Washington, D.C.

Tallia would do anything for Isaiah, and what he wants most is to meet the President of the United States. So together, they formulate a plan to get to the White House--a plan that involves spending a bit of money and concocting a bunch of lies. And, ultimately, a plan that ends up changing Tallia’s perception of her family forever.

The tentative release dates are June 18 for ebook and July 2 for paperback. As I mentioned in a previous post, my chronic illnesses can sometimes slow me down, so these dates are just estimates for now. I'll let you know closer to the time if we're still on schedule.

(If you're interested in blogging about the book sometime around the release dates, please let me know! I'd be happy to promote your blog or book in return!)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my cover! Any other sweet cover releases going on lately? I'm a real fan of pretty-looking books!

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No Spoilers, Please!

Before I get to today's subject, I just want to let you guys know that I now have a Facebook Page! I'm not asking you guys to "like" it or anything, but if you do, please feel free to plug your own Page's URL in the comments so I can "like" you back.

So, several months ago, I was browsing Twitter when I saw a tweet about a TV show I watch. The tweet said something along the lines of:

OMG I can't believe [CHARACTER] was killed off on last night's episode of [TV SHOW]!!

...and I hadn't yet seen the episode. Thanks for the spoilers, random Twitter person. You're un-followed. (Not really, but I was momentarily annoyed enough that I considered it.)

The thing is, yeah, it was pretty lousy. I was really into that TV show and wish I could have experienced the shock of this character dying without hearing about it beforehand. The episode was ruined for me.

But when I was finally over it (weeks later...), I realized that being sensitive about spoilers is a good thing. It means that we care about the story. We're invested. And as a creator of stories, it always makes me happy when people appreciate a writer's work. In the case of this TV show, while I love the acting, it's really the writing that draws me in. I wanted to completely immerse myself in the script writers' world and feel emotions as if the events actually happened.

Now, when I hear someone say, "No spoilers, please!" I know how important that is. And I won't spoil anything. I promise.

Have you ever had anything spoiled for you? How did it happen? (Remember not to give away what the spoiler was, if it's something that fellow readers might not have seen/read yet.)

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So... I Have A Book Coming Out!

Yup, you read the title right!

I unofficially announced this on Twitter last week, but here's the official post:

My debut middle grade novel, WISHING FOR WASHINGTON, will be released this summer through my small business, Frolloway Press.

Woo hoo!!

I know it's all pretty vague right now, but trust me, more details will be coming soon, including the actual release date and a summary. I'm working on a whole bunch of things at once right now. And you know what? I love it.

My decision to self-publish was one I made over the course of many months. Actually, close to a year. I wasn't necessarily set on self-publishing this particular book from the start, but I became quietly interested in the idea of going indie a while ago. A few factors contributed to this:

1) The biggest reason is that, as regular/long-time readers know, I'm chronically ill. I have been on a sickening rollercoaster the past two years, going from doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital, taking a year off work and then finally cautiously returning to a part time job.

I'm sure there are traditionally published writers who are also chronically ill who still manage to do everything just fine. I, personally, felt like I couldn't make a promise to meet deadlines and carry out responsibilities, not knowing if I'd suddenly get hit with a few weeks or months of daily pain. I wanted the freedom of being my own boss. I still have self-made deadlines that I've been meeting so far, but it's a lot less pressure for me this way.

2) I like to be in control. I guess this goes along with the feeling of not having control when your health stinks, but I'm okay with giving up some pretty "big" things, like having my book on store shelves, if it means I can decide things that are more important to me. The exact day my book releases. What exactly my cover looks like. How soon to release a second book.

I have a business plan (including a marketing plan) and a calendar filled out for the next eight to ten months. And it feels awesome to plan all that out!

I can't wait to share more with you all as it unfolds. I appreciate the support I've receive so far, too. You guys are great!

ONE LAST THING: My book isn't the only one to release in 2014, obviously. So, instead of making this all about me, me, me... feel free to share any other 2014 releases you're excited about!

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Why Did You Love That Book?

I've been thinking a lot about the books that children choose to read. I work with kids, and it's always interesting to see which books they take out of the library, buy at the book fair, or borrow from their teacher.

Everyone has different tastes. I've seen kids reading fantasy, adventure stories, contemporary stories, graphic novels, joke books, and various other non-fiction books. (The girls seem to prefer how-to books on crafts, while the boys seem to gravitate toward non-fiction about things like sharks and spiders, from what I've noticed.)

No single book is going to attract everyone, and no reader is going to love every book.

With that in mind, I've thought about which books really grabbed me as a kid. I can't narrow it down to just one book, but there were three series that I absolutely loved:

1) The Babysitter's Club

2) Sweet Valley Twins

3) Abby Jones, Junior Detective Mysteries

I enjoyed the first two because they were familiar. They were longer series that featured the same characters over and over, so I felt like I knew the babysitters and the Wakefield twins in real life.

But the third series was short, only three books. I read them over and over. I really connected with the main character, Abby, and I basically wanted to be her. (I went through a very short phase where I considered being a detective when I grew up, all because of those books.)

I'd love to hear what your favorite books were as a kid, and why you loved them so much. Did the characters feel like old friends? Was the setting or situation something you would have liked to experience yourself?

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You Share A Name With My Character!

I've recently made a new acquaintance who shares a name with one of my characters. One of my favorite characters, in fact. It's not an insanely uncommon name, but it's not one you hear everywhere. So, when this person introduced himself, I might have been grinning like an idiot. Which might have been creepy.

If you're a writer, you probably understand this. Our characters feel real. We think of them just as often as we think about actual people in our lives. It's part of the job.

If you're not a writer, this might sound weird. It might sound like no big deal, like someone sharing a name with an imaginary friend you had as a kid. Or a stuffed animal, or a doll, or whatever. But a character (especially a major character) is more than that. Think of them as the toy you loved. Maybe that one doll you had to bring to the table for every meal, or that stuffed animal that you dragged around by its ears since you were a toddler.

That special one.

That's what characters are like to some writers.

We don't always have physical representations of our characters, (unless our books have been made into movies, and there's merchandise to go along with it, but that's not majority of writers), so it's hard to express how significant these fictional beings are to us. We don't have a string of wallet photos like people do for children or grandchildren. (Is that still a thing these days, with smartphones and all?) We don't have many ways to show it.

So believe us when we say, it is usually totally awesome when we find out that you share a name with one of our characters. It might make us smile like we're morons. Just go along with it, okay? We appreciate it when you understand.

Any writers or non-writers have any related experiences to share?

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Overheard Conversations

A few years ago, I was heading into a Subway restaurant when I overheard the conversation of two people passing by. They were a father and daughter; the girl was maybe 5 or 6 years old.

"Daddy, let's get Subway!" she said.

"No, sweetie," he responded. "Daddy doesn't like Subway."

The little girl gasped. "How come you don't like Subway?"

"Because," he said, a firmness in his voice, "Daddy just doesn't like it, okay? Just like how Daddy doesn't like..."

That was all I heard. They were out of my range of hearing, and I was about to open the door to Subway, anyway.

Like I said, that was a few years ago, but it is still bugging me that I didn't hear the rest. Why doesn't he like Subway? What was he going to compare it to? "Just like how Daddy doesn't like..." What? McDonald's? Burger King? Something else, maybe, that isn't a fast food restaurant?

Overhearing conversations is one of my favorite ways to get ideas for characters. I don't go around eavesdropping on people, but I do love when I happen to be around interesting people while going about my business. The "Subway" man and daughter haven't inspired me to write anything in particular, but other situations have.

If nothing else, it's helpful to pay attention to the rhythm of a conversation. How long of a pause is there between each person speaking? Do they cut each other off? Do they make sounds like sighing or grunting in their dialogue?

And if I only hear part of a conversation, maybe it's better that way. I can fill in the rest.

"Daddy just doesn't like it, okay? Just like how Daddy doesn't like Quiznos. Sandwiches are evil, you know that."

Anyone else enjoy overhearing conversations? Have you gotten any good ideas that way?

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My Characters Now Eat Seafood (Re-Post)

I'm going through old blog posts from the archives and have decided to re-post a few. Here is one from 2010:

I hate seafood. It's unfortunate, because I live in such a seafood-loving area. I've never been able to stand the smell and the texture of the food. Luckily, I married a man who doesn't like seafood either, so I'm not forced to be around someone else eating it in the house.

Because I find seafood so repulsive (no offense to those who enjoy it, which is most of the world, I think), I never wanted to make my characters eat it. I couldn't stand to write something like, "the waiter brought them their food, the smell of FISH wafting through the air..." because, ick, I don't think I could finish the scene. My characters aren't me, and thus, they don't have to hate seafood too. But it was much more convenient for me if they did hate it, so I wouldn't have to write about it.

But unfortunately for my sad, picky-eating self, I wrote a story in which the main characters love fish, and for a reason. My latest story (well, back in 2010... remember, this is a re-post) is about pets who can communicate with humans. There's a scene where the human protagonist eats lunch with a group of animals. The dogs are eating chicken or some other meat, the birds are eating seeds, and the cats... are eating fish. Of course.

I wasn't going to make the cats allergic to fish, or not in the mood for fish, or plain don't like fish like their dear author over here, but I had to be authentic. (Well, actual authenticity would involve everyone eating bland pet food, but I wanted it to be a little more interesting than that.)

So, I detached myself from my central characters and gave them permission to like things that I really don't like. Sure, I've had my differences with my characters before -- how boring would it be if I only wrote about a bunch of Shelleys? -- but I'd never made them love a food that I totally hate. The mark of a picky eater and picky writer, I guess.

Any readers find it hard to read about something that you really can't stand? Any other writers find it challenging to make your character like something that you definitely do not? Anyone else hate seafood?

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