Gift Ideas for Writers

(Said in announcer voice) "Do you have a friend or family member who is a writer? Are you struggling to figure out what kind of gift to give them for their birthday or a holiday? Well, struggle no more!"

My birthday was last week, and my family gave me the most fun and creative gifts! So, if you need a gift for the writer in your life, here are some ideas:

My mom bought me a WRITER T-shirt and WRITER tote bag! I can't wait to show off to everyone that I do what I love. They're from the TV show Castle, which I also recommend to writers.

My sister gave me a bunch of writer-related goodies. Besides a cute notepad, lined paper for lists, and neat-looking pen, I also got...

...some magnetic poetry, to give me ideas when I'm stuck on a scene, and...

...a notepad for when I get ideas in the shower! Holy cow, I've been saying for years that I need this!

I encourage you all to Google these items and consider them for either yourself or a writer friend. I know I look forward to using them!

But one gift I received that you can't buy came from my grandmother.

She made me a ceramic girl who is reading a copy of Wishing for Washington! Yes, she printed out the front and back covers of my book and glued them on! And that's not all...

...even the inside of the book is the dedication and first page of Wishing for Washington! My grandmother is so creative. I'm in awe.

So, needless to say, I have the most thoughtful family ever, and I love them.

What are some gift ideas for writers that you've seen, received, or come up with yourself?

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What Would We Do Without Our Friends?

Sharing a book with the world can be a scary thing. You've worked so hard on it, and then it's time to release it into the wild. It's out of your hands.

But something that makes publishing a book much less scary is the support of friends and family. I'm so grateful for the people in my life, for the encouragement they've provided and enthusiasm they've shown. I couldn't do it without them. (Which is why my acknowledgements section is so long -- a lot of people have helped me on this journey!)

I'm also very thankful for my fellow writers. My blog and Twitter buddies have helped me in many ways: providing feedback, cheering me on, giving advice, and overall reminding me that writing does not have to be solitary. We can share this process instead of feeling lonely.

Two writer friends in particular have been super generous and have featured WISHING FOR WASHINGTON on their blogs:

- Jemi Fraser, who is always above and beyond sweet and always does so much for others. She's been such a lovely friend and is such a positive presence in the online writing world. Everyone who knows her can agree -- and if you don't know her, please go check out her blog!

- Beth Fred, who has beta read for me and provided really good feedback. She's also someone I can talk to about whatever's going on in my life, and who has given me great insight into the indie publishing world. She's always kind enough to feature other writers on her blog and has some thoughtful posts, so I also recommend checking out her blog!

A giant Thank You to many others who have tweeted, shared on Facebook, added on Goodreads, and all the other amazing things you guys do! I appreciate every single thing. Really.

* While we're talking promotion, I am eager to feature more MG and YA books on my blog, so if you or someone you know is interested in promoting your/their book, just comment or send me an email. *

So tell me, in what ways have your friends (or family or writing community) been helpful or invaluable to you?

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Wishing for Washington is now on Amazon.com!

I know the official release date for the e-book was supposed to be June 18, but yesterday I decided I'd play around on Amazon. The mobi (Kindle) formatting was all done, and there was nothing stopping me from actually publishing it.

So I did.

If you're interested, you can check it out here. If you're not sure if you'd like it or not, you can read a sample on Wattpad.com.

I kept thinking I still had a week before the release (though I guess I could have waited a week before fiddling with Amazon), so I wasn't really prepared to announce it today. It definitely feels surreal.

The Nook version and print version are still in the works, but both will definitely release this summer. Then we'll see if I can format the book for iTunes. I've got a busy month ahead!

What summer releases do you guys have your eye on? I've got a long To-Read list, but I'm always looking to add to it. (Has anyone with a long list actually made significant progress? If so, can I borrow your reading superpowers?)

P.S. Some of you guys offered to blog about the book, which is awesome. I'll be emailing you soon with all the info.

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Review of BINGO SUMMER by Dawn Malone

Middle Grade is my favorite genre by far, and though I don't have the opportunity to blog about every single MG book I read, I do want to make a point of sharing ones that really stand out to me.

BINGO SUMMER by Dawn Malone is a book I wanted to blog about even before I finished it. Not only because Dawn and I are email buddies, but because I can picture many different kinds of readers, kid and adult, who would love this book! The story is fascinating (what kid -- or adult -- doesn't dream about winning the lottery and getting rich?) and the characters and voice are spot on. Since Summer, the main character, is in eighth grade, this book would appeal to older tweens/young teens as well as kids in elementary school.

A summary of the book, taken from Goodreads.com:

On her thirteenth birthday, Summer Haas scratches the lottery ticket her mom tucked into her birthday card and the down-on-their-luck family become instant millionaires. Then the attention gets crazy in their small Illinois town, and the family moves north to ‘disappear’ in the Chicago suburbs. Summer’s new home might as well be on the Moon, it’s so different from where she used to live.

Suddenly, Summer is a candidate for student council, trades her t-shirt and jeans for mall-brand clothes, and throws a party for her entire grade even though she didn't invite a single guest. Everyone wants Summer to be someone other than herself, including the super-popular Suri who Summer hopes will be her new best friend. There’s Mara who wants Summer to forget about competing with her for third base when softball season comes. And Summer just wants to avoid Dink and Anna even though she has more in common with them than she wants to admit.

But when Mara discovers how Summer’s family made their millions, and threatens to tell the whole school, Summer needs a friend more than ever. Can Summer fit in AND stay true to herself?

Check out the book on Amazon here! (Or if you want to hear more gushing, read my Goodreads review here)

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How Do You Read e-Books?

Hi friends, before I talk about today's topic, I wanted to let you know that WISHING FOR WASHINGTON is now on Goodreads! You can add it to your To-Read list if you'd like.

Today, I have a question for anyone who reads e-books: What kind of device do you use to read them? Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or another device?

I'm wondering because I'm in the final stages of formatting my e-book, and I've noticed some subtle differences between mobi (Kindle) and epub (Nook). Due to these differences, the mobi version has been much easier to code than the epub, so the Kindle version might release earlier than the Nook. (But I'm actively working on the epub version to try to release them at the same time.) I haven't begun to format the book for iTunes, but that's something I plan on doing as well.

So, I was wondering which devices you all use, and if any non-Kindle users feel like they miss out if e-books are Kindle exclusive?

For the record, I read e-books via the Kindle app on both my iPad and my Android phone. Even though I like reading on the iPad better, I read most often on my phone.

And, of course, I still read print books. Gotta love the feel of a book in your hands!

EDIT: As Nick reminded me in the comments, I do plan on having a paperback version of WISHING FOR WASHINGTON available in addition to the e-books. The paperback will just release later. (Tentative date: July 2).

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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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