Editorial Interview with Jim Maher

Today, I'm mixing up my interview to focus on the editorial and revision process, and pulling in Hemingway Man author Jim Maher to do so!

 
What part of the revision process was the most challenging for you?

Whenever I have to cut a sentence that I think sounds just great, but doesn’t add anything to the story, it has to go. I can’t have a string of useless words highlighting my cleverness without adding to the whole piece. It still hurts cutting it.

If you could rework your book now, would you change anything?

I’d possibly work Will’s family in more, make them have more of an outside impact on his decisions.

Was there anything you butted heads with your editor on?

Canadian vs. American spellings, but that was it. And she’s British, so she was rooting for me anyway.

Were there any major changes you had to make, or did you have it pretty well already?

I’m a perfectionist, so I edited it about seven times before I put it up on Smashwords, and got some great feedback from readers there. I edited it one more time, and then submitted it to Espresso Books. We still worked together and edited it two more times, but the heavy lifting was pretty much done.

What one thing have you learned that will help you the most in future projects?

Honestly, never give up. Until you close it yourself, every door is always open to you.


Thank you, Jim, for sharing a little about your process!

Giveaway: Dark Parties

In a world shrouded in fear and lies, how can you shed light on the truth?


Sixteen-year-old Neva lives in Homeland, an isolated country separated from the rest of the world by the Protectosphere. The government insists there’s nothing beyond its borders, but as Homeland’s resources dwindle, people, girls mainly, have started to go missing. If there’s no way out of the Protectosphere, where are they going? Suspecting the government is lying about everything, Neva and her friends stage a Dark Party in the hope of uncovering the truth and finding the freedom they dream about.


Does that not sound like an awesome book? Because, I think it does and I totally have a copy to give away to TWO lucky readers!

To enter, just fill out THIS form! Contest is US Only and ends July 31.

Want more? Check out this book excerpt, and the book's Facebook page!

About The Author: Sara Grant is an American living in the UK. Born and raised in Washington, Indiana, Sara graduated from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and psychology. She now works as a freelance writer and editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children. She lives in London with her husband. This is her first novel.

In My Mailbox

Area author Rosemary Clement-Moore did a signing last weekend for her newest release Texas Gothic, which of course I didn't miss. Though she just signed books, I still had an awesome time hanging out with people before we grabbed Rosemary and headed off to The Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner and, well, cheesecake. And while I did get a picture of Rosemary and me... my camera went MIA this week in my apartment (I blame the dog, and that also means these pics were taken with my phone so sorry they look weird...), so those will have to come later. But in the meantime... with that... I bring you guys this week's books, both bought and for review!

  

For Review:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi

The Predicteds by Christine Seifert

Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II by Ron Koertge

(Huge thanks to Kimberly Derting + Simon & Schuster, Berkley Press, Sourcebooks Fire, and BlueSlip Media)

Borrowed from Katie:

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Bought at Rosemary's signing:

Texas Gothic

Prom Dates from Hell

Hell Week

Highway to Hell

So that was my week! Let me know what you guys got!

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Character Top Ten: Bean and Henry from Pearl

To help celebrate the release of her latest book, Pearl, the lovely Jo Knowles has been kind enough to share some favorites for two of the big characters in the book. Sure, you can learn a lot while you read the book, but there's always those little nuggets of info that often just don't make it in... and so with this list, you now get that!


Bean and Henry’s Favorites list:

1. Favorite song: Anyone Else But You, by the Moldy Peaches
2. Favorite movie: An Affair To Remember
3. Favorite snack: Frozen Mini-Snickers dunked in coffee
4. Favorite footwear: Flip-flops
5. Favorite TV Show: Days of Our Lives (but only because they bonded over it)
6. Favorite breakfast: Entenmann’s Raspberry Danish Twist
7. Favorite meal: Roasted Veggie Lasagna
8. Favorite dessert: Suzie Q’s
9. Favorite city: New York
10. Favorite hangout: The river

Thank you, Bean and Henry, for sharing your favorites and congrats, Jo, on the release!

Pearl is out now, so make sure you guys all check it out! Bean and Henry are great characters, and definitely ones you don't want to miss!

Book Review: Stealing Bases by Keri Mikulski

SUMMARY: Reformed mean girl Kylie Collins desperately wants to put the craziness of basketball season behind her. (And with it, her cheater ex, Zachary Murphy.) Maybe she'll finally be able to silence her snarky streak and concentrate on her lifelong dream - being recruited for Division One softball.

But when Kylie arrives at her first softball practice of the season, she comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare: Amber McDonald, the best pitcher in the state.

Now, Kylie's forced to warm the bench as Amber wows crowds again and again. With all the drama happening out on the softball diamond, Kylie finds herself drawn back to bad habits-sabotaging people and hanging out with a certain Zachary Murphy. . .


OPINION: 4 STARS

The Short Version:
Cute and fun yet still having plenty of more emotional scenes, Stealing Games is another great installment in the Pretty Tough series that will leave readers with that can't help but grin feeling. Kylie is headstrong and independent to a fault, yet Mikulski weaves her development perfectly to match this. Withe a range of fun side characters, a cheating yet still frustratingly endearing hottie to contend with, and a well paced plot, Stealing Bases definitely will hit with readers who like their romance with a side of sports.

The Extended Version:
Kylie is the kind of girl who keeps things to herself, even from her best friend, carrying too much baggage to really let anyone in. Still in love with her cheating ex, but trying hard to not get back with him, signs that things are starting to unravel for Kylie show up early. As things continue to rain down on her, things really pick up and her responses to things are completely understandable and logical for her characterization. Though she makes many mistakes, and definitely does things that readers will quirk an eyebrow to, Mikulski has infused her motivations and emotional reasons so strongly into the book that it's easy to overlook the whiny brat that Kylie can sometimes be when things get especially rough.

Zachary is just as hot as he seemed in Head Games, endearing and charming yet still unable to stop being a player. Even as Kylie struggles to resist his attempts to win her back, readers can easily understand why and might even find themselves starting to root for him again. Mikulski easily hits the gray space with this character, but definitely does not leave things dangling at the end.

The remainder of the characters have just enough to make them fleshed out and different, while still letting the story focus on Kylie. From mean girl type interactions to true friendship, there is a big range of relationship types in this book and each one is well placed and adds quite a bit to things overall.

The plot has a steady pace, focused on Kylie more than anything but holding plenty of outside factors that help drive things as well. Though predictable in some ways, Mikulski still weaves a very enjoyable and fun to read story while also not shying away from the inner turmoil that comes with the feeling of everything falling apart. From Kylie seeing the truth about people around her to friends that won't just give up on her to the softball aspect of the book, this one has plenty to keep it going and keep readers interested. Stealing Bases is another great installment in the Pretty Tough series that blends sports, romance, and great characters.

Details:

Source: Received from author/publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Reading level: Young Adult 

Paperback: 272 pages 

Publisher: Razorbill; Original edition (July 7, 2011)

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick is Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, coming Febray 7, 2012 from Harper Teen.

Summary: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a savage. He’s also her only hope.

Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.


My Thoughts: Cannibals? Electrified energy storms? Air that kills you? Yeah. This one just sounds like a million kinds of awesome. It seems like the kind of dystopian that is obviously not our world and yet, one that we can all easily imaging it turning into in the coming years. Add in that who I assume will be the love interest is a savage?!? Yes please. And if he isn't the love interest, well, he's still a savage and he gets points from me.  Plus, I want to know why Aria is exiled. And what she has to do to survive. And why Perry needs redemption. Basically, I want this book like now. So someone should send it to me. Also, I love love love this cover. The colors are so stunning, and so well put together, mostly dark with a touch of light that ties it all together. The girl looks really intense, and pretty much bad ass, and I love the tree branch type stuff she's walking out of, or perhaps it's something else? Regardless. I like. And I want.