NaNoWriMo is Here!

Hey, look at that! October is over, Halloween is done, and Lizzie Lilac is nestled among the published books of 2014.

Now it's time to write something new.

If you're here at my blog you've probably at least heard of NaNoWriMo--short for National Novel Writing Month. It happens every November, and participants must start the work in November and write at least 50,000 words.

Last year I didn't technically win, but last year I wrote over 60,000 words in 2 SEPARATE WORKS in November. So I'm calling that a personal victory.

This year I have a lot on my plate, writing wise. That's in addition to the barely controlled chaos that is my life. But I don't have the time to devote 30 days to one book. So here's what I'm doing for NaNo this year:

I've decided on 7 carefully selected days to devote to my NaNo project. 7. SEVEN. That's 50,000 words in seven days, or roughly 7143 words a day. Yes, it's ambitious. Yes it's crazy.

But that's all the time I have to devote to a new story this November.

Thing is, I've done it before. And I can do it again. I'm choosing days that I don't have dr's or orthodontist appts for my kids or my husband. I'm choosing days where everyone else is either at school or at work, which gives me at least 6 hours of uninterrupted writing time. And all of these days are within the first 18 days of the month, so we'll know rather quickly whether or not I'm making it work.

And today, November 1st, is not a designated NaNo day. It's a Saturday, for crying out loud, and my whole family is home and I have priorities.

In Case You Missed it: Big Cover Reveal!

I'm putting up the cover for The Tyrant King (May 2012) for anyone who has not seen it yet. Because I love it. And it's just so cool.

From the back cover:
Her heart paused, but Krystal remained defiant. “You lie. You would never do such a thing to my child.”
“You think not?” He laughed again and she recoiled. “I’ve sworn an oath to decimate my dear cousin’s present and future, take over his kingdom and his crown, and fulfill my father’s dreams. And you think I would hesitate to murder his offspring? Come now, Krystal. I know you are smarter than that.”

The kingdom of Fayterra is abuzz with preparations for Princess Alana’s wedding, but the arrival of a stranger threatens the peace of mind of the entire royal family. Soon, their people are under attack. War is declared. And not everyone will survive.
As the future becomes bleaker and the mystery continues to unravel, Krystal’s enemies will learn just how far she will go to defend the people she loves.
Excited yet? :)

Today's the Day!

Don't forget to be part of "Books are for Lovers" and buy a book today from your local bookstore. Let's keep those brick-and-mortar stores alive!

In other news, Cedar For officially passed on The Tyrant King last week. I've been so busy (with LOTS of help, trust me) getting The Wild Queen print books in order it's actually taken me some time to process this latest rejection. I immediately moved forward with plans to self-publish the book, but I didn't really work through how I felt. Consequently, my emotions have been on a roller coaster ever since. Today, though, I think I've struck a balance.

Am I sad/confused/distraught that my publisher didn't feel my work was worth a second chance? Hello? I'm human. Of course it affected me.

Am I going to let it stop me? No way!

Lately I've been a veritable fountain of worthy story ideas. So they don't want this one. Yes, it means I'll be self-publishing TTK and TLP, but that doesn't mean I'll be self-publishing forever. And, even if I am, so what? I write my very best then I send it to other writers and readers for opinions on improving it. Then I make it better. THEN I send it to a professional editor to show me what else I'm missing. Then I make it better. And that is what the reader sees--the very, very best I can show in my writing.

Self-publishing means control. I control what goes into the book. I control what the cover looks like. It also means responsibility. I control the advertising/promotion of said book. So if it doesn't sell, then I'm the weak link here. :)

The Tyrant King will be out in May/June. The Lost Princess will be out in 2013. I can't wait to be able to show you the cover for TTK. But, for now, enjoy this one!

The Wild Queen print version is looking amazing. I did find some errors in my proof copy, so I will need to order another proof to make sure it's all fixed. (at least what I found, lol) I'm hoping copies will go live in March. Yay!

My Review: The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller

About the book: Twenty-five years ago, governor Lilburn Boggs was shot in his home, but the gunman was never found. Now Detective Calvin Pogue has been hired by the Boggs family to open the cold case. From one end of the country to the other Detective Pogue follows clues that lead him relentlessly to the legendary Mormon gunman Porter Rockwell–who still isn’t making things easy for anyone!

My thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and found myself caught up in it from beginning to end. I do enjoy historical fiction, and I'm finding LDS historical fiction equally enthralling. It's cool to read fictional stories based in times and places we study in Sunday School.

I liked the character of Detective Pogue, and found myself hoping he could resolve the issues that kept him from his child. I really appreciated that he was a character of some depth, with his own background, and not just a vehicle to tell the assassination story. I will warn you, though, there's a twist in the end that some readers will find frustrating because it is unresolved by the end of the book. I won't say that Pogue behaves out of character at the last, because I'm not convinced he does, but it was enough for me to grumble a bit on the last page. :)

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. I'm no historian, so I can't say for sure where the lines of fiction and fact blur, but it is nonetheless an entertaining and enlightening read. Rod Miller does an excellent job weaving a convincing story with compelling characters. Go for it.

You can purchase the book HERE.


Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of this book for review, but that did in NO way sway my opinion of the story.

My review: Become by Ali Cross

Last weekend I attended a writers' retreat. If you've never done one, it's awesome. I doubt non writers would get as much out of it, but there's something about having over a dozen people in a house, and hearing only the clickety clack of their keyboards for hours at a time.

I also got my hands on some fantastic books. I've teased you before with news of the DARK CARMA tour, and now you're going to hear about the A. Ali Cross' book, Become.

How can you not LOVE that cover?

From the back cover: Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

My take: Ali is a genius. Seriously. I was at a WRITERS' retreat, people, not a READERS' retreat. But I wanted to see what she wrote when she signed it. Then I thought, oh, I'll just read the prologue. Then my eyes flicked--flicked--to the first chapter and caught a few words.

I was 183 pages in before I forced myself to stop.

I love Desi--her struggles, her weaknesses, her strengths. It can't be easy to make Satan's daughter a likable character, but Ali does it with such finesse you kind of don't realize it's happening until you find yourself rooting for her. I love the Norse mythology tie-ins, but I love mythologies. This story is all about the murky gray, but none of the characters leave you guessing whose side they're on.

Ali's writing style fit me. Become Does not have the rough feel of an author's first book. I actually found myself imagining editors kicking themselves for letting this one slip through their fingers (as I read). It's that good, that compelling.

I honestly can't wait to see what she does next. And, if enough people know about Become, it could easily become a best seller.

**Disclaimer, if you want one. I bought this book with my hard-saved money, so you can bet I'd let you know if I'd been disappointed!**

The Beginning, part 1

When does a story begin? It begins with the action. While authors may develop a whole, complex back story it's never a good idea to start your book with it. This is one of the reasons I've worked at doing away with prologues. Mine were always heavy with back story, because I loved the story part. But readers want action.

Last night I watched The Fugitive with the boys. At the end, my son complained that we didn't see the part where they officially cleared Richard Kimble's name. Technically, at the end of the movie, he was still a convicted murderer. I told him that's the boring part and nobody wants to see the boring part. His brother reminded him of his previous complaints at every scene that wasn't packed with action.

It's the same with books. Nobody wants to see the boring part.

I'm going to share a little journey with you this week. If you blog hop with me, you'll get the entire first chapter of the story I teased you about a few weeks back. We're starting here and now. Tomorrow, if you hit my MOMMY BLOG, you'll get the second installment. Thursday, the third will be at LDS WRITERS BLOGCK. Friday you can tie it all together over at MORMON MOMMY WRITERS. Have fun and happy reading!

CITY OF LIGHT
by Cheri Chesley

CHAPTER 1

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing off the beautifully polished building walls so that every ear in the City could hear it. People of Light, my shadow creatures have long watched you. In two days’ time my servant shall walk among you. He will claim my bride, the maiden Aisilyn. Our union will allow me to cross the Barrier of Light, and bring your destruction!
Gennavieve, shopping in the marketplace with her sister, froze when she head the voice. Everyone around her paused to listen. Genna’s eyes sought her sister’s face; at the mention of her name, Aisilyn closed her eyes and swayed a little. Genna clutched her arm, the silk she’d been holding slid back to the merchant’s table. Aisilyn opened her eyes, and Genna saw.

She knows it’s her, she thought. Just as I know.

The voice ended, and, as though bidden, the sun slid from behind the clouds. Genna became aware of the excited voices around them, fearful and urgent.

“Let’s go home,” she said. “Mother will be worried.”

Aisilyn nodded, but didn’t pull away from Genna’s grasp. Genna inclined her head to Sorai, who snatched up their purchases and followed.

Surprise!

This is an actual letter I sent to my publisher, with a few changes to protect the innocent. :) What do you think?

Dear (name withheld):

This submission is in response to this publisher’s public request for Mother’s Day book submissions. I offer you a children’s book with a twist that will appeal to mothers and children alike—as a gift, or for themselves. It is called Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks.
Lizzie Lilac is a little girl with a passion for socks, so she notices when her favorite socks come up missing. Determined to solve the mystery, she finds herself following a troll to a secret world where she discovers an entire troll village. Lizzie learns trolls steal only “left” socks, because they only know how to knit “right” socks. Caring as only a young girl can, Lizzie solves the trolls’ problem, and earns a reward.
When she wakes up in her bed the next morning, Lizzie isn’t sure if her adventure really happened, or if it was just a dream, but she does find that all of her missing socks have been restored, and someone has left a mysterious gift under her pillow.
I wrote this story with the help of my ten year old daughter, Kylie, and hope to include her name on the cover. Kylie and I have friends, Rebecca and her daughter, Lizzie. Rebecca was diagnosed in May with breast cancer, and her strength and courage has been an inspiration. She makes beaded butterfly breast cancer awareness pins. I’ve included one. Please wear it with our compliments. In my mind, the Lizzie in the story has a mother who is recovering from chemotherapy. She can have either a scarf on her bald head or wear a cute hat. The treasured socks Lizzie misses are socks her mother sewed little, beaded butterflies on while she was sick. I believe, through the combination of the words and strong pictures, adult readers will easily see the deeper meaning behind the book as they read the entertaining story to their child(ren).
I currently serve as President of the League of Utah Writers’ Tooele Chapter. My first novel, The Peasant Queen, is now being sold in stores and online. You can also find my name as one of the contributors in Covenant Communications’ inspirational compilation, Tender Mercies, released Spring 2010, and its upcoming sequel. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Cheri Chesley

Cross your fingers! :)

Sneek Peek at my Full Cover!

I have been sadly remiss in sharing this with you. A week or so ago, I received the full cover for my book, THE PEASANT QUEEN. Here it is:




This is not the best image, but hopefully you can read it. The copy came to me as a .pdf file, which won't upload as an image to FB or blogger.

Here is a close up of the back cover blurb:


I think it's beautiful :)

Y is for...

YA, or Young Adult.

Why have I chosen to write for the YA genre?

You might say it chose me. In today's world, it seems that there is very little interest in a novel for grown ups (notice I don't say adult books lol) that doesn't have swearing, sex and violence. The problem is, I'm not the only one to have noticed this.

Years ago, when I WAS a young adult, or a teen, YA books were pretty much limited to a handful of classics and Sweet Valley Twins books. There was so little to read most of us just jumped up to grown up books.

Now, the YA market is inundated with books. I mean, there's really tons of them. Most authors I meet these days write YA. Granted, many of them are still unpublished--but they're all working toward publication. I don't see this as a bad thing. After all, how many of us ever read only one author? There's nothing wrong with a little market diversity.

But I don't consider myself a YA author. Perhaps 4 or 5 of my titles are YA. Recently, the projects that have hit me really hard have been middle grade fiction. For the time being, since we live in the now, my current projects are YA fantasy so I am a YA author.

I bristle at this. It feels like pigeon-holing and I've never been a fan of being categorized--good or bad--by any title. Maybe that's why my other age group projects have so much appeal. I even have a couple of grown up projects in the works--okay, the idea stages. One of the problems of having a prolific brain is I always have ideas, but not always the time to see them through. Gah. Some days I get up and already feel like I've fallen behind.

I'm glad the YA novel market has come so far. And I'm also glad that many people find comfort in reading books marketed to youths--even well into middle age and beyond. We shouldn't be limited to what is considered appropriate for our age level. I've already told the newest reader in our home, my 6 yr old, that she can read anything in my library.

But then, I don't go for those ADULT types of books. :)

AuthorPalooza is a Good Thing

What a difference a day makes!

I had planned to go to the WriteWise Book Camp this weekend with my fellow authors and WW peeps, but my plans fell through--and then my alternate plan fell through. So by last night I was pretty dang bummed. That is, until I got on FaceBook and checked up on my friends.

Heather Justesen posted about AuthorPalooza going on this afternoon at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Sandy from 1-4pm and I thought, what the heck. I was all set to talk books and rub shoulders with other authors this weekend anyway, and AuthorPalooza was hosting over 30 published authors. Wow. And again. 30 published authors in one store. WOW.

Not only did I get to see Heather again (whose book I already own and read), but I got to see James Dashner again, Jessica Day George, Nichole Giles, Cindy Beck, Terri Ferran, Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen, Ann Cannon, Carol Lynch Williams, Lisa Mangum, Emily Smith, Sydney Salter and Nathan Hale.

Nathan is a lot of fun. He kept our crowd at the Purple Cow entertained (see past blogs) for a while when the rest of the authors ::coughs:: Dean and Shannon Hale were late. I hoped he'd have some of his picture books out for sale--the family had a ton of fun with The Devil You Know, but alas, all he had was what we'd already purchased. Ah well. It was still great to say hi chat for a bit. Sydney Salter I've also seen before, though I'm sure she doesn't remember. She was with a few other authors at The Purple Cow early last year. I've wanted her book, My Big Nose and other Natural Disasters, ever since--and now I have a signed copy.

I'd ordered a ton of James Dashner books just before finding out about the signing, so I only picked up The Maze Runner today. Had it signed to my son, because I'm cool like that.

The girls raided the Jessica Day George table. Jessica and I shared a stage at the Grantsville Jr High's author days last year. This happened a lot today. I'd get that, "You look really familiar" look from about 90% of the authors I approached. Yes, I'd say--I've been around a lot.

It's a good thing authors like to see people return again and again, otherwise I might be looked upon as a stalker. Yes, I drove 40 miles to blow my income for the month (don't get excited, I only make about $100/mo) and meet my friends and authors and get said books signed. Yes, I do this a couple of times a year because I find Utah to be culturally good to authors and I like to support that--seeing as I hope to be one of them someday.

I also picked up Austenland by Shannon Hale and a couple of Julie Wright books--even though they weren't in attendance.

Look for my upcoming reviews of the treasures I've acquired at this blog or you can find me on Goodreads.com

Now, if you don't mind, there are several books calling my name...

Altared Plans

This is a book trailer for a really fun book by author Rebecca Talley. I won my copy in a contest and shared it with a friend heading off to college. She loved it too! Take a peek, and check out the book.

Just click the blog title and it will take you to the book trailer on YouTube.

Do all LDS authors go through this?

I've hesitated posting this, because it is intensely personal, but here goes. Do all LDS authors face such spiritual adversity trying to get published? And does that adversity ease at all once you've published one or two books?

I've been on a roller coaster of highs and lows ever since accepting my place in Heavenly Father's plan last April. At least the role of my writing. It wasn't an easy acceptance. I've done a lot of kicking and screaming to get to this point. But finally I accepted what He has in store for me, and the blessings I've been getting all say it's going to be big.

I have a book on the cusp of publication and have been smacked down by direct opposition more times than I care to count. This is personal you guys. I'm talking misdirected emails, flagrant red herrings--and not just at me but at the people involved in seeing my book in print.

Case in point: A few weeks ago I got an email from the designer who did my cover and is also doing the interior book design. She wanted me to send her the most recent draft of the book. She didn't have it. A MONTH BEFORE I had sent it to my liaison who had then sent it to her and wrote me back saying she had. And it vanished into cyberspace. In utter exasperation I vented to my husband that it felt like I was being targeted, like little gremlins were purposely sabotaging my work. He immediately felt impressed to give me a priesthood blessing, during which I was told I was right. After that I started saying a little prayer every time I sent an email even remotely book related.

Three weeks ago my liaison started her final read-through of my book. She has to read it before it goes into print. Call her my editor, for these purposes. The next week I emailed her for an update and she said she was on page 200 and really liking it. She sent me a couple more emails saying she was really enjoying it and asking if another author could also look at it. After two weeks of silence I emailed again; she's still around page 200. Work and family keep distracting her. And I know why.

I'm fasting tomorrow. I've asked my kids to pray for the book to be published soon. I've got people asking almost daily when it will be available for purchase. And I've started responding by asking them to pray for it. There's nothing short of divine intervention that's going to see my book published now.

So I ask again. LDS authors, is it always like this??