Blog Hop: My Writing Process

This Blog Hop is a blog tour showcasing authors and their writing process. I was tagged by Kurt Hampe, one of our witty, hard-working YA Fusion blog team members whose posts always crack me up. You can read his post and back-track through the blog tour here: http://www.kurthampe.com/1/post/2014/06/blog-hop-my-writing-process.html

I'm tagging Vicky Lorencen and Katie Van Ark who've inspired me for years through SCBWI-MI.  You can learn more about them at the end of my post.

And now it's my turn...

1. What am I working on now?
So many different projects.  My agent recently submitted my new YA novel, and we received fairly consistent feedback from a few editors, which means I need to revise before we resubmit.  I also have another YA novel to revise and a half-completed New Adult novel to finish. In between novels, I write short pieces, such as an essay about working in Detroit that was recently accepted by an online literary journal.  I also write for Gleaners Food Bank in Detroit which has been a really nice way to blend my social work career with writing.  My other writing role is co-editing the SCBWI-MI newsletter.  I'm always on the lookout for interesting kidlit articles and artwork.

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?
This is a tough question - there's a stunning amount of talent and variety in YA fiction. Working as a social worker has been eye-opening, and I've been inspired by so many resilient children and families.  I try to bring this experience and emotion into my stories.

3. Why do I write what I do?
I want my novels to be fast-paced and engrossing, but also tackle big questions. To make readers feel and think deeply. I write to better understand our world, and I hope to expand a reader's worldview as well.

4. How does my writing process work?
I keep notebooks beside my bed, in my office, and in the car.  I jot down character traits, plot ideas, themes, questions, snippets of dialogue.  It all stews in my subconscious and begins to take the shape of a story.  I might write a very rough outline, but usually I just need to dive right into the story and figure it out as I go. 

If I'm stuck I'll share chapters with critique partners, but I prefer waiting until I have a complete first draft.  My agent provides valuable feedback too.  Then, it's revise, revise, revise.  Last year, I took an online writing course with author Tim Wynne Jones where I could submit up to 300 pages.  His feedback was so helpful, and the deadlines kept me moving forward.

So, enough about me. Check out writers extraordinaire Katie Van Ark on Saturday, June 14th, and Vicky Lorencen on Monday, June 16th, to learn more about their writing process.  Here are their bios and blog links:

Katie Van Ark skates and writes from Michigan. Her debut novel, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, is a figure skating romance coming February 3, 2015 from Macmillan Swoon Reads.  Read more here: http://www.katievanark.com/blog

Vicky Lorencen makes sentences and shops for shoes in Michigan. She recently completed her second middle grade novel SHORT CHANGED and is actively shopping for a literary agent who will be just the right fit.  Visit her blog, Frog on a Dime at http://vickylorencen.com/posts/

Have a great week!
Kristin Lenz

Swoon Reads, part 2, submission tips

Yesterday, I shared Katie Van Ark's success story through Swoon Reads. 

If you're considering submitting your manuscript to Swoon Reads, Katie shares her tips below.






●    The Swoon Reads team is looking for young adult and new adult romance. Research them to see if they're the right fit, just like you would with any publisher, and check out their FAQ.

●    There's a lot of manuscripts on the site. Make sure yours is as ready as possible and that you've carefully edited your pitch and short description – these are your best way of attracting readers already on the site. Also, take time to think about cover design and check out the covers of popular works on the site. Not fair, maybe, but we all know the one about judging a book by its cover...

●    If you post your manuscript and delete it or replace it, you lose your ratings. So as soon as you post, I recommend clicking through your work on the e-reader to make sure it's properly uploaded. That way you can repost it if needed before you've gotten any ratings. Mine had a few formatting issues that I wished I'd changed while I still could.

●    Enlist a couple writer friends who are familiar with your work to write comments, both to ease the “what did I just do” factor and help attract more readers to your manuscript.

●    Remember that unlike the slush pile, you can remove your work and repost. Gotten a few comments that you really should change such and such as well as less than five heart ratings? Revise and resubmit – this is ALWAYS an open invitation at Swoon, you don't need an editorial letter first.

●    Give a little thought to your publicity plans. Been dragging your feet on an author web site? Not sure about the best use of Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr/Pinterest? Now's a good time for those thoughts.

●    Remember that the highest ranked manuscript isn't necessarily the winner. Swoon is looking for writers, not homecoming queens.

 Katie Van Ark's YA novel, The Boy Next Door (formerly titled Pairing Up), will be a February 2015 release from Macmillan's Swoon Reads imprint. Visit her online at www.katievanark.com and follow her on Twitter @kvanark.

For more writing tips, the Swoon Reads blog has a Tips Tuesday feature: http://www.swoonreads.com/blog/tips-tuesday-writing-advice-from-swoon-readers. 

And tonight at 9 pm EST, Katie and other Swoon Reads first listers will be doing a #SwoonReads twitter chat.

If you've submitted your story to Swoon Reads, let us know in the comments so we can check it out!

Best of luck!
Kristin Lenz

Swoon Reads Success Story

I met Katie Van Ark a few years ago during a peer critique session at an SCBWI-MI conference.  We kept in touch and swapped manuscripts via email, providing feedback and encouragement.  When Katie told me she had posted her YA manuscript to Swoon Reads, I was so impressed with her courage, and I crossed my fingers for her success.  And success she found!  Read on as Katie shares her Swoon Reads publication journey.  Maybe it'll be the right path for you, too.

(This article was first written for the SCBWI-MI spring newsletter and is partially reprinted here with Katie's permission.)

Here's Katie:

So you think you can write? Are you ready to appear on The Voice? The writing voice, that is? If you write YA or NA romance, you might be ready for Swoon Reads.

Headed by Jean Feiwel, who admits she took the idea from her own Voice obsessions, Swoon Reads is a new crowd-sourced path to publishing that you may have read about in previous issues of the Bulletin. The premise is simple: put manuscripts online and let readers rate and comment on them to bring them to the publisher's attention. What is emerging, though, is so much more. Swoon Reads is becoming an online writing community that provides not only feedback through comments but writing advice and book clubs through its blog.

In addition to leaving heart ratings of one to five stars, readers on the site can also rate manuscripts as having heat, laughs, tears, or thrills. So here's a little bit about my experience on Swoon and how it fulfilled each of those categories.

Heat: I had a lot of doubts in the beginning. My initial relationship with Swoon was more of the “he loves me, he loves me not” variety. At first, it felt like any other submission. I'd done my homework. I knew what they were looking for and I had a polished manuscript. Easy, right? But then I could see my MS laying in the slush pile and not getting any attention – ouch! Several of my SCBWI critique friends who'd helped me with the manuscript left comments and ratings. Some other Swoon members liked my description and took a look. I got more daring and asked a couple book-loving relatives to read it as well as a couple skating friends. They liked it enough to pass on the recommendation to their friends, and my novel took off. Note to self: Breathe and remember it takes time for people to actually read.

Laughs: The road to publication can be frustrating and lonely, but traveling with the Swoon Reads community has been wonderful. I've enjoyed meeting other writers. Commenting on each other's manuscripts led to back and forth e-mail discussions and tweets, shared laughs over common writing issues, and the discovery of new blogs and new friends. As a bonus, the Swoon experience forced me to confront my avoidance issues with social media. I've since overcome my #fear of @Twitter and I ended up developing a basic author web page with a blog about my experiences in the writing for children and young adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. In March, my blog was even selected to be featured on SCBWI's home page blog roll.

Tears: Robert McKee in Story suggests considering how a character's dream could turn into his or her worst nightmare. My greatest fear about using Swoon Reads by far was unscrupulous behavior of others online. This fear was realized. Another user on the site created false accounts to boost her own ratings – and trash mine. When my ratings suddenly began to drop while hers skyrocketed, I reported the suspicious behavior. Swoon investigated and found the fraud was legitimate and she was banned from the site. Swoon also promised to remove the fraudulent ratings. The Swoon team is committed to making this a positive experience for authors and malicious behavior is not tolerated.

Thrills: My manuscript was chosen as one of three first round winners, so I was privileged to receive one of the biggest thrills of all – a phone call from Jean Feiwel, who is my editor for The Boy Next Door. Hello, happily ever after! In the end, a swoon-worthy experience? Definitely.

Katie Van Ark's YA novel, The Boy Next Door (formerly titled Pairing Up), will be a February 2015 release from Macmillan's Swoon Reads imprint. She is eternally grateful to all the SCBWI-MI members who helped make her story swoon-worthy! Visit her online at www.katievanark.com and follow her on Twitter @kvanark.

Think you're ready to Swoon?  Stop by tomorrow to read Katie's tips for submitting your manuscript: http://yafusion.blogspot.com/2014/05/swoon-reads-part-2-submission-tips.html

Also up tomorrow: Katie and other Swoon Reads first listers will be doing a #SwoonReads twitter chat at 9 pm EST, Monday, May 5th.

In the meantime, check it out for yourself at http://www.swoonreads.com/.

Here's to taking risks!
Kristin Lenz

#GivingTuesday, plus our book bounty giveaway!

Thanksgiving

Black Friday

Small Business Saturday

Cyber Monday

And a new tradition: 
#Giving Tuesday

Last year, a movement was born to kick off the holiday giving season. December 3, 2013 is #Giving Tuesday, an initiative that celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organizations. 

Charitable solicitations abound, and it can be difficult to know who to trust and where to give.  Giving can be as simple as dropping coins in a can or donating a toy, but to have a bigger impact, it helps to do your research and determine a longer term plan.  Charity Navigator is one place to start.  For tips on giving, read their guide, and take some time to explore the rest of the site.  You’ll find more information such as:

Of the 6,800+ charities evaluated by Charity Navigator, the vast majority spend at least 75% of their budgets on the programs and services that they exist to provide, 10% or less on fundraising fees and 15% or less on administrative costs.

Prefer to give a hand up over a handout?

Microloans are another way you can have an impact. You choose an endeavor to support, you make a loan, you get updates on the progress, you get paid back, and you repeat the process again with a new project.  Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, and you can lend as little as $25. You can guess who created the Nerdfighters team on Kiva. “We loan because…we aim to decrease world suck.” 

Want to lend a hand?   

Volunteer Match helps individuals and groups find local non-profits who need your time. 
 

Charitable giving is something we tend to keep quiet about. 
Humblebrag:  So, you spent Saturday watching a Dr. Who marathon?  That sounds great.  My feet are killing me.  But at least I know hundreds of kids have a full belly due to my double shift at the food bank.

It doesn’t feel right to say, “Look what I did!” 
But the more people know about your efforts, the more likely they are to join you or support another cause that's important to them.  So please, shout out, so others can jump on board.  Here's one way to do it right now:

Leave a comment below and give a shout out to a charity/non-profit organization.  Everyone who leaves a comment by midnight on Saturday, Dec. 7th, will be entered in the YA Fusion book bounty giveaway.  On Sunday, Dec. 8th, I’ll randomly choose 5 winners.  The first name drawn will get the first choice of book, and so on. (If your email isn't on your Blogger profile, please include it with your comment.)

 Here are the books...

  

...and here’s my charity shout out: Ever wonder what the deal is with Ronald McDonald Charities?  I never thought I'd recommend anything associated with McDonalds, and it was a charity that I routinely dismissed until I started working as a social worker at Children’s Hospital in Detroit.

Ronald McDonald Houses are located at hospitals all around the country and provide a home-away-from-home so families can stay close to their hospitalized child.  The daughter of one of my friends had leukemia requiring hospitalization/treatment out of state for nearly a year.  Her mother was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, set up her laptop and continue working, while remaining only steps away from her daughter.  Her dad and siblings were able to visit and stay on weekends.  Donations make it possible for families to stay for little ($10) or no cost. 

Cash donations aren’t the only way to help.  Volunteers are needed to provide home-cooked meals and baked goods.  To learn more and to find a Ronald McDonald House near you, go here.

The YA Fusion blog team is shouting out about their favorite charities in the comments.  Thanks for sharing your recommendations too, and remember to spread the word about #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday

Cheers!
Kristin Lenz

Brave Enough to Suck

I met Shari Becker a few years ago at the Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Workshop.  It was a week of inspiration and deep writing, and we've kept in touch ever since even though we live in different states. The writing/publication path is so bumpy, it helps to share the ride with someone who truly understands.  Someone to commiserate with, and someone to kick you into gear.  Shari joins YA Fusion today with a guest post.  Read on, and you'll understand why I admire her and appreciate our friendship.

Are you brave enough to suck?

This year I was fortunate enough to sell my first young adult novel. This process is neither easy nor painless. I shed many tears, had many sleepless nights, and paced hallways trying to push through writer’s block. Six months in, I scrapped my entire first attempt and rewrote the whole manuscript keeping only the core idea.

“Close” rejections stung. “I was totally hooked, but it was too similar to other books on my list.” Or, “Really great writing, but I just didn’t connect with it enough.” But it only takes one editor to love your story, and I was fortunate to find her.

The experience taught me a ton about the publishing industry and the writing process. It’s been a humbling journey. I’d love to share with you some of the lessons I learned over the past two years, writing this debut novel. I’m going to start with the one I think was most impactful --

I simply could not write my best work until I was brave enough to suck. I had to understand that even though I’d spent 10 years working on my writing, even though I had an agent, even though I had two published picture books, and even though I had worked for Nickelodeon and a Disney company, I still had so much to learn.

Two years ago I joined a fabulous critique group with super-talented writers. I came in cocky, I’ll admit. But the talent in my group was exceptional and standards were high. The writers were funny and poetic. Their grammar was better than mine. Their pacing was better than mine. They studied and honed, and they had put in hours of time and effort that I simply had not.

I had a huge wake up call: they were better than me, and I had a lot to learn from each of them.

Now of course this is all relative. I HAVE been writing for a long time. I’m not a novice. My work is certainly good enough to have an agent, but it isn’t always good enough for a slam-dunk sell.

The members of my critique group were intense, intent on publishing in a way that was hungry and pragmatic. There was no room for “good enough.”

Everyone knew that some part of their submission was going to be lousy. It was going to need rewriting. Maybe a lot. It was not good enough for publication … yet. I went to every critique group knowing I was going to get a beating, and the wounds would sting. They pushed and asked tough questions.

Another member of our critique group, who joined at the same time as I did, dropped out after just a few meetings because we critiqued too harshly. We did not stroke her ego. She was positive that her manuscript was perfect just the way it was. It wasn’t. Some parts were great, some needed real work. She was unwilling to accept her sucky-ness while I decided to embrace mine.

Success in this field (in my opinion) means understanding that writing is a process, and none of us are “there” yet. Heck, we may never get “there.” The point is to keep trying to be better. To keep trying to be your personal best. To exceed your own expectations, but to know that if you ever believe you’ve gotten “there,” you’ve probably reached the wrong destination.

To be fair, some part of this crazy business really is luck. It’s finding that one editor who loves your story enough to publish it. You have no shot at being lucky, though, if you aren’t hard on yourself. My critique group was fierce. Fierce about not accepting sub-par work from ourselves or each other. Fierce about being the best we could be. Fiercely honest about understanding the industry: what would sell and what likely wouldn't.

I just started working on a new novel, and I’m already pacing the hallways because I know it’s not nearly good enough yet. I know huge chunks need rewriting. I have to find the bravery – the courage – to accept that it sucks, and the resolve to work my tail off to make it better.

Gratitude

We’ve been focused on crafting useful posts, and the weeks keep flying by, but I’m taking a minute to push the pause button to reflect on where we’ve been.  Katie McGarry started the YA Fusion group blog in the spring of 2011 as a debut author.  Fast forward to today, and Katie’s debut novel, Pushing the Limits, was just selected as a YALSA 2013 Teens' Top Ten, her second novel, Dare You To, has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, and her third novel, Crash Into You, is about to be released!

Congrats, Katie, and thank you for pulling all of us together into this supportive blog team!  

Over the past two years, we’ve grown to a team of 13 and celebrated more book birthdays and good news.  Some members have needed to pull back as they juggle work and family responsibilities, and we’re excited to welcome two new contributors, Shari Becker and Amber Hart.

Shari's YA debut, The Stellow Project, is scheduled for spring 2015 from Skyscape (Amazon's YA imprint).  Amber's YA novel, Before You, will be published by Kensington in spring 2014.  Shari and Amber will start with guest posts and join our regular schedule as they find a balance with all of their author responsibilities. 

Halloween fun is behind us, and I’m looking forward to the winter holidays.  It’s easy to get swept along in the rush of the season, but I’m going to try to slow down and make time to express gratitude.  My yoga teacher ends each class by asking us to think of something we are grateful for.  I love the website www.dailygood.org for their articles such as, The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier.  You can sign up for inspiration and a 21 Day Gratitude challenge here: http://www.kindspring.org/21day/

To express our gratitude to our readers, YA Fusion will have a December giveaway of some of our favorite books and new releases.  Until then, here's a sneak peak:

Have a great week and good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo!

Namaste,
Kristin Lenz

Songwriting and a CD giveaway

Our YA Fusion group blog is all about reading and writing, especially young adult fiction, but I'm trying something new today and exploring a parallel path - songwriting. Many of our blog followers are writers who listen to music while they work, and it's now common for authors to share playlists for their stories. I prefer to write in quiet, and I usually listen to music when I'm cooking or driving, but still, music lyrics often help me develop a theme I'm exploring in a story.

Read on for inspiring words from a songwriter friend of mine, enter to win a CD, and help me spread the word about an amazing local Detroit band, the Corktown Popes. I guarantee their music will feed your muse.

The Corktown Popes lead singer, Terry Burns, lives in my neighborhood and has one of those wonderful front porch swings where he reads or plays guitar.  He always has a cheerful greeting, and his laugh is infectious.  I first met Terry as an artist who made a living painting houses, and it was some time later that I learned of his music career.  He recently revived/recreated his band, and the Corktown Popes have burst onto the Detroit music scene.  I saw them in concert and was blown away by their energy. Every time I hear them on the radio, my mood brightens.  Watch the video below to see what I mean.

Here's my interview with Terry.  His responses were surprising, inspiring, and enlightening.

1.  What inspired you to rekindle your music career, and what helped you to persevere?

I finally felt I had something worth saying.  If you feel passionately about something, you can usually go through what you need to in order to end up on the other side of the obstacle(s) you are presented with.

2.  How does songwriting differ from other types of writing (poetry, fiction)?

If you hope to have a chance at radio airplay, you have the limitation of brevity placed upon you.  You have exactly 3 minutes (plus or minus) to say exactly what you want to say.  You have to allow space for sound (instrumentation) and you have to establish a chorus which presents itself repeatedly between verses. 

The chorus has to be interesting enough to withstand repeated listenings.  I like the verses to make statements which support the chorus, or ask questions that the chorus answers.  Sometimes even asking questions that the chorus seems to make ambiguous.

3.  I'd love to have you dissect one of your songs to show me exactly what you mean - we'll have to continue this thread when we have more time. What comes first - melody or lyrics?

I have no strict rules when it comes to the start of writing a song.  Whatever comes first - chord progressions, lyrical phrase, or melody.  I follow the one, as Daniel Lanois says, "...that raises its hand."  I build around whichever device says something worth listening to.

My job as a songwriter seems to me is to build a strong and attractive "skeleton."  One that the musicians I surround myself with can place their own bit of "flesh and muscle" on.

A composer would chart everything out.  I don't have that much formal knowledge yet.  Some bands will all gather at the same time and work on ideas as they come to them.  We may do some of that with the next recording.

4.  How do you feed your creativity?

Work.  Constantly.  Read about your art form.  Watch movies about your art form.  Practice your art form.  Be consumed by your art form.  Blow your art form up.  Start again.

5.  This is an intense side of you that I don't usually see!  But I know that if I were interviewing you in person rather than through writing, you would have ended that answer with your boisterous laugh.  What influences or inspires your songs?

My songs always begin with this --
They all begin as a feeling that I feel I MUST express.

Cheers, Terry!  Thanks for giving us a backstage glimpse into your music world.

To learn more about the Corktown Popes, go to their website and Facebook page.

Terry and the Corktown Popes have generously offered to give away 3 CDs, and one extra lucky winner will also get a t-shirt.  Yes, you could be just like this lucky tween:

Oh, and they have bumper stickers, too!  Here's how to enter: simply leave a comment below by Friday, September 27th, and include your email if it's not listed in your Blogger profile so I can notify you if you're one of the 3 winners.  Because I love this music, and I wish Terry and the Corktown Popes all the success they deserve, please share this contest via Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Let me know that you shared this post, and I'll give you an extra entry for the giveaway.

Terry is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle from his performance at the recent Arts Beats & Eats festival.  (Ouch.)  He's happy the chest pain was not a heart attack, but he'll be hurting for awhile.  Please wish him a speedy recovery!

Thanks for listening-
Kristin Lenz




 

All the Truth That's in Me, Part 2

The other day I shared my review of All the Truth That's in Me, by Julie Berry, Viking (Penguin Books), September 2013. You can return to that post to enter to win the ARC.

I had a nice email exchange with the author, Julie Berry.  I was curious about her writing and revision process because of the unusual narrative style with very short chapters/scenes, a four-part structure, and the use of 2nd person POV ("You").  Technically it's not 2nd person as Julie explains below, but I'm not sure how else to describe it.  It's as if the main character is writing a letter to her best friend/love, and addressing him as "you," but it's not written in the format of a letter. You'll just have to read it and see for yourself!

Here's Julie's response, and she offered to send some of her newly printed, fun swaggy stuff to accompany the ARC giveaway.  Thanks, Julie!

From Julie:  The unusual format of All the Truth That’s In Me came about organically. The story simply wanted to be written that way, if that makes any sense. Judith, the main character, has a compressed kind of intensity in the way she sees her world. Her observations are fractured, as her existence has been. As an outcast in her community, and as a person who cannot speak, she endures long periods of silence, of boredom, drudgery, and loneliness – times of “no story.” But she survives this with the company of her own poignant, sometimes poetic thoughts. And so the narrative seemed to want to unfold in this granular manner, stitching observation to observation and event to event. 

The choice to employ second person (which, technically, this is not, since the “you” of the story is a character within the story, but that’s a bit of hair-splitting) was a deliberate decision, an experiment at the very start, that begot the germ of the idea. But the form, ie, the short chapters, came about naturally, not deliberately. I loved how Judith seemed in charge of her story from the very beginning. She’s the most powerful heroine I’ve ever come to know through my own writing.

Enter to win the ARC giveaway of All the Truth That's in Me by Friday, June 5th here:  http://yafusion.blogspot.com/2013/06/agent-news-and-arc-giveaway.html

Coming September, 2013: All the Truth That’s In Me, a YA novel from Viking (Penguin Books). “Haunting and unforgettable.” – Ruta Sepetys, bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy. “Riveting.” – Judy Blundell, National Book Award-winning author of What I Saw and How I Lied. “Powerful.” – Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of One Crazy Summer. Read about it in Publisher’s Weekly.

 

Agent news and an ARC giveaway

You know what friends say when they're trying to encourage you, whether it's about love, or job hunting, or the often long and frustrating path to publication.

When one door closes, another opens.  
When you least expect it, good news will surprise you.

Cliches yes, but they persist because they're so often true, and it recently happened to me.  For lack of a better transition, I'll just blurt out my news:

I have an agent!

Carrie Pestritto from The Prospect Agency is bursting with energy, shares my vision, and I'm excited and honored to be working with her.

For those of you in the midst of the challenging process of querying, I hope my story encourages you to keep plugging away.  I had a very good agent many years ago, but she was unable to sell my first novel.  After much debating and agonizing, I made the decision to look for a new agent who would be a better fit for me. But first, I needed to dive back into my craft and simply focus on writing without worrying about publication.  I attended the Whole Novel workshop through the Highlights Foundation. I won and finaled in some contests which validated my hard work.  And finally, I began querying a new novel. 

I revised with an agent, but she was concerned that my novel was too similar to others on her list.  The good news: she sent my manuscript to one of her colleagues.  That agent also asked me to revise, but she too ultimately passed on my manuscript. She left with me with more feedback, and I revised again.  I knew the story was as strong as ever, but I'd lost confidence in it. Instead of querying more agents, I set the manuscript aside and focused on another new novel.  I started an online writing class.  Then just by chance, I stumbled upon an agent pitch contest at the Love YA blog. (Monica B. often hosts contests like this - you should definitely follow her blog!)

Carrie Pestritto selected my pitch, requested 50 pages, then the whole manuscript.  We had a wonderful phone call, and she asked me to revise.  Here we go again, that negative voice piped up inside me.  But I agreed with her suggestions, her enthusiasm encouraged me, and I knew I had to take this chance. She loved my revisions, loved my story on the second  read, and offered me representation. 

I've still got more revising to do, but having an agent's support has re-energized me, and of course I want this manuscript to be as strong as possible before it sees editors' eyes.

To celebrate accomplishing this step toward my goals, I have a great book to share. In May, I attended a regional SCBWI conference.  Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and both Ohio chapters joined together to host the Wild, Wild, Midwest conference.  I attended several workshops with editor Kendra Levin from Viking, and won an ARC of a YA novel she edited, All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry.

 Coming September, 2013: All the Truth That’s In Me, a YA novel from Viking (Penguin Books). “Haunting and unforgettable.” – Ruta Sepetys, bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy. “Riveting.” – Judy Blundell, National Book Award-winning author of What I Saw and How I Lied. “Powerful.” – Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of One Crazy Summer. Read about it in Publisher’s Weekly.

Despite the wonderful reviews, I was hesitant to read this story due to its description as an empowering tale of recovery from trauma. I had recently finished If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch which was gorgeous, but intense and heartbreaking. I'm a social worker, and I can only handle so many stories of trauma every year.  But, after attending Kendra Levin's workshops, I respected her judgment, and I saw that the author had an MFA from Vermont College in writing for children and adults - I've been impressed by every book I've read from their graduates.

I tentatively began to read and discovered that the story was much different than I expected and not at all what I feared.  The cover looks modern to me, but the story is historical, set in an unknown year, in a Puritan-like settlement. The narrative style is unusual with very short chapters/scenes and a four part structure.  Other reviews have compared it to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but it reminded me of Chime by Frannie Billingsly.

All the Truth That's in Me won't be released until late September, but I'd love to give my ARC to one of our YA Fusion followers.  The giveaway ends on Friday, July 5th.  To enter, please leave a comment and include your email address.

Happy summer reading!
Kristin Lenz

a YA debut, revision help, and GIVEAWAYS!

I have a lot to share today: a wonderful new book, revision advice, and giveaways!

I’ll start with the wonderful book. The ARC of Emily Murdoch’s debut YA/Crossover novel, If You Find Me, sat in my reading pile for too many months. I wish I had read it earlier to join the chorus of admirers, but I’m squeaking in just in time – the novel releases this week. (With starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal!)  

At the end of this post, you’ll have a chance to comment to win my ARC. You’ll also find a link to read an interview with Emily and the blog tour stops for more chances to win her novel.  Trust me, she is such a warm and lovely person, you will immediately want to read her book. 

From the back cover:

There are some things you can’t leave behind…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

My thoughts:

Lyrical, evocative, heart-wrenching. I was immediately swept up in the emotion and the mystery, and I feared the unfolding that came at the end. Because I am a writer and a social worker, I thought about the worst that could have happened, and truly hoped author-Emily wouldn't go there. I didn't want her to go there. But I know she had to. That might sound bleak, but ultimately this is a story of love, hope, and resilience.

This is also a great story to analyze from a writing perspective, especially the use of flashbacks.  Writers are taught to avoid the dreaded info-dump, to reveal in bits and pieces – never enough to slow the story down. 

I’ve struggled with this in my own writing, and I recently received some guidance from author Tim Wynne-Jones who is my mentor/instructor in an online writing class. Tim commented that I was holding back too much information from the reader.  I was attempting to build suspense, but instead it came across as coy.  I had briefly described a certain past incident, but Tim’s advice was to make that a longer, fully developed scene – even its own chapter.  Here’s one way to think of it: use small flashbacks that reveal character through action and dialogue, but use larger flashback scenes when important truths need to be revealed.

The best way to learn is to read books that do this well. If You Find Me is a great example, as well as Tim’s YA thriller, Blink and Caution.

* On Tuesday, I’ll be at Literary Rambles for Tip Tuesday sharing more of what I’ve learned from Tim Wynne-Jones. In the meantime, here are the programs where he teaches: 

-Vermont College of Fine Arts

- Humber School for Writers

Visit the unofficial blog by faculty members of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults

**And finally, the GIVEAWAYS!

1. To win my ARC of If You Find Me, simply leave a comment below by Friday, April 5^th.  U.S. and Canadian addresses only, and please include your email if it’s not listed on your Blogger profile.

2. To find the launch of the If You Find Me blog tour with more chances to win the book, go here: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2013/03/emurdochpost.html

3. It’s revision week at Deborah Halverson’s DearEditor blog. Stop by for a week’s worth of revision tips and opportunities to win a partial or full edit of your manuscript.

Good luck!

Kristin Lenz