NEW BOOK IDEA!!

I don't want to jinx it by saying too much about it, but I'll give you the PERFECT title that popped into my head!

The Blood Train

And of course, as my usual routine demands, I filled a whole folder with pictures to go with the ideas in my head! (It's very creepy.) Want me to share?

Ok you twisted my arm:

"Welcome to The Blood Train Miss. You had better get comfortable. You won't be leaving."

Brenda Drake's Can You Hook A Teen Contest

Hey guys! I'm entering Brenda Drake's contest!

Here's the rules:

On September 21st and 22nd post the first 250 words of your young adult or middle grade manuscript on your blog (you may skip this part, if you wish), and then hop around to each others' blogs and give critiques.

The winner gets a $50 editing gift certificate (and two runner's up get $25 each) for Teen Eyes Editorial Services.


Wolfy Love Story. :-)

I drove a little bit faster, though normally I wasn’t one to speed. The thought of getting a ticket just to get somewhere a few minutes sooner was pointless. However, I made an exception this time; first because I finally knew where I was going after getting lost twice, and second it was getting dark and then I’d be sure to miss the house. I eyed the retreating sun with more than a little uncertainty.

It won’t be that bad… I told myself.

I tried to relax, but I was anxious and unreasonably irritated. If this was supposed to be a fun getaway after all the chaos of high school why did it feel like a prison sentence?

I noticed my white knuckled hold on the steering wheel and loosened my fingers. They ached as blood rushed back into them. I could feel my pulse in my palms.

I was being ridiculous. It’s not like I was driving to my own execution; although imagining Rachel in the role of executioner wasn’t difficult whenever Dylan was around.

Dylan. My anxiety rose a few notches and I let my foot off the gas a little.

If unrequited love wasn’t enough to put a damper on the summer I didn’t know what was.

I frowned at the rural highway. I lost my mind. I had to have; otherwise nothing would have convinced me to accept a vacation invitation from Rachel of all people. Two months, I’d be stuck in her beach house.

Two months.

There you go. I wish it was the first 500 words because the first taste of creepy comes up right after this, but oh well!

I really hope the rest of you join up too, I'd really like to see all of your 250 words out in the bloggersphere. :-)


:-)

Kick Ass Titles?

I have no idea why, but for me, coming up with an awesome title is the hardest part of what I do. (Hence the name Wolfy Love Story.)

I've recently been spending a lot of time on other people's blogs, just sort of poking around and seeing what's going on. And on those blogs, more often than not, I see a little meter like mine off to the side with their word count and a very very cool title to match. I just don't understand it! I don't have the ability to think of really cool titles. It's just not in me.

Part of me thinks that it's not such a big deal, considering the title is most likely going to be changed by either an agent or an editor before it hits the shelves anyway. But then I hear all this talk about agents who loved the title enough to read the sample pages even though the query fell flat, or how a good title can be the difference between "I'd like to see the rest of your novel" and "Sorry, no dice."

On the other hand, I'm really good at coming up with unique character names, or names of places. I can come up with something really cool in just a minute or two, and a title can take me weeks, and at the end of the day I'm still not happy with it.


How do you come up with your titles? What sparks that great idea?? How important do you feel the title is at the end of the day?

Any Wolves of Mercy Falls Fans?

I first read Shiver right after it came out. I was completely wrapped up in that world for about a day and a half before I closed the back cover and sort of sighed. I couldn't wait for the next one to come out, and again for the final book in the series.

It just goes to show you how a familiar story can easily be extraordinary with just your own little spin on things. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Shiver is the beautiful brain child of Maggie Stiefvater. It's the story of Grace and Sam. Grace is a girl obsessed with the wolves around her Mercy Falls home, and Sam is a musician who is forced to change into a wolf every winter. The cold drives his change, and he only has so many summers of being human before he changes into a wolf and never comes back.

The first book is Shiver, the second is Linger, and the third is Forever.

I have Forever sitting in my desk right now...


See?

...but I won't let myself read it until I've finished the first draft of Wolfy Love Story. Call it a prize for not procrastinating... oh who am I kidding, call it a prize for not procrastinating AS MUCH.

What about you? Are you a Wolves of Mercy Falls fan? And if werewolves aren't your thing (I can try to understand) what series has captured your attention lately?

Toodles!