Write Stuff: June 2011

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

insert little squeal of excitement

So, today, I stopped by the MuseItUp website, and saw something that totally tickled me pink. (Seriously, that's a really strange saying, now that I think about it...) Anyhow, I have a page up on their website, talking about my book, and all sorts of good stuff. See! Can I just say that this is utterly awesome? And makes me randomly happy? Yup, totally so cool. Also, means that I really need to get some author photos taken. My little brother, the awesome photographer, is in town and I have every intention of hitting him up for this. Does anyone have any good advice for what to do for these? Honestly, it kind of freaks me out to think about. Yikes!

On another note, my husband's garden has produced some of the largest zucchini known to man. We've got them coming out our ears and I've cooked it every which way I know and we've only used most of one of them (they are HUGE!). I'm going to have to find a way to cook the rest of this, or we're going to be doorbell ditching zucchini to everyone in town!

Yellowstone Adventures

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:29 AM

I've been a little MIA around here the last few days due to a family reunion in Yellowstone. It was quite a trip! I haven't been since I was a child (and honestly remember very little of it), so going back to the Park was a great experience and left me feeling very rejuvenated and full of writing "juices." (Of course, then I got home and had to get back to work... :)

Aside from seeing some great wildlife (a mamma grizzly and her cub, a bald eagle, and baby bison--and so much more!), the hot springs and crazy boiling water spewing up from the earth was crazy! Watching Old Faithful was just incredible. It left me wondering what the first explorers, and native people, thought about that part of the country. I mean, it's not every day that the landscape is doted with little jets of steam. Did they think the place was holy? Or an extension of hell? (With the smell and deadly pits of water--I'm going for the latter.) It certainly got me thinking about how I would depict the underworld, and left me with all kinds of images to take back to my work.

Maybe it was all the people watching, or the landscape, or awesome sunsets, but getting away for a few days left me hungry for getting back to my WIP (I just hit 40k!). Anyone else planning a vacation? Going someplace fun that will get you in the mood to write?

Genre Bias

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:23 AM

This past weekend, while sitting around the pool with my family (after stuffing our faces for Father's Day as my family always does for holidays and other celebrations--eat too much that is), my grandmother started up a conversation that she's been picking on me about for the past weeks since she found out I sold my book. It went something like this:

Gma: "so, can we get a tagline about your book?"
Me: "Um, ..." *gets distracted so I don't have to answer*
Gma: "Well, it does have a main character, right? It's fiction?"
Me: *sigh* "Yes, it's fiction. The main character's name is Julia."
Gma: *clearly wanting more information*
Me: *Doing my best to not make eye contact*

Now, I've known for a long time that there is this little problem in my family: fiction is okay, but fantasy is considered to be crap. The problem is that I love writing fantasy. I mean, that's what all my manuscripts have had in them--some kind of fantastical element. So, do I go ahead and share this with my family? Um, no. No one in my family really has any idea what I write about. The fact that they even know that I write is sometimes more than I want to tell them. The fact that I write for teens is also another sore spot. My mom just can't understand why I don't write the next great American novel. My answer: Honestly, that's not what I would ever find fun, let alone want to spend years of free time working on. So, dealing with all of them after I expound on all the small intricacies of my inner world while sitting around the pool on a Sunday afternoon is just too much for me to handle.

Okay, so all this yammering about my family is to bring me to my point: biases exist against certain genres. At some level, they may be based on personal preference, but they are also influenced by society. Fantasy (or even just fantastical elements, such as paranormals or urban fantasy), is regularly at the bottom of the heap, along with sci-fi. This really annoys me. I mean, any book takes a considerable amount of effort to write, and being able to build another world that is believable in all its nuance? That takes some serious effort. I honestly don't know how to avoid some of these biases, but noting they exist is at least opens the doors to discussing it. Of course, how I can do that with my family remains to be seen :) I can just imagine the look on my 85 year old grandmother's face when she finds out that I write about people who can fly...

After Reading: Passion

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:00 AM

by Lauren Kate

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

I have made it no secret that I love these books. To the point that I really sometimes wish I could just crawl into this world and live there. The story is so fun, unique, and utterly enveloping. Passion totally adds to the world created in Fallen & Torment. I've read it twice this weekend :) I love dropping into different points in history and seeing how everything played out for Luce and Daniel. Seriously fun. I don't know how I'm going to ever be able to wait for the last book in the series!

WINNERS

By: Meradeth Houston on 6:00 AM

Hi! Thanks to everyone who entered my little contest :) I'm going to list winners here and ask that you email me so I can drop the books in the mail asap! Also, I had two people request The Forrest of Hands and Teeth, but there were no other requests. Sooo, let me know what you'd like, and for those who both wanted the same book, I'll figure something out :)

So,

Donna Earnhard,
Divawriter (Tara :),
J.Ro, and
Pamvikers

shoot me an email, okay? mrs.which (at) gmaill (dot) com.

Colors Like Memories

By: Meradeth Houston on 12:21 PM

I've been meaning to post a little more about my novel on here, as I realized there's next to nothing on here about it! Certainly didn't mean to do that. Anyhow, my May 2012 release, currently titled COLORS LIKE MEMORIES goes a little like this:

Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of. In order to save her best friend's life, she's going to have to face her past, but her ghosts won't make it easy. Especially his.

Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

When Edison arrives at school, Julia's plan to focus on her work is thrown into chaos. Somehow, he knows way too much about her past. To make matter worse, Edison sparks more than just her curiosity. But he's one more distraction, and Julia has no time, especially when she accidentally reveals her true identity to her assignment. To help her grieving friend, she'll have to face her past—it’s the only way she, and her best friend, will heal. But to do so she’s going to have to return to the scene of crime and relive every vivid detail of what happened the day of the accident. If she can’t accept what happened, she’ll be forced to leave the Sary and lose any chance she had at saving her assignment’s life. It’ll take learning to trust Edison, and herself, to face the true color of her memories.

(Maybe not the best blurb, but this is literally the 20th draft of it, and it's also the query I used when I contacted MuseItUp publishing, so it's got that going for it :) I had a TON of help writing this thing, too, and so I must send a million thanks to those people who have helped me out!

Oh, and the title comes from a quote by Jorge Luis Borges, from his 1926 “A History of Angels.” I love the ending of his short essay, which goes like this:

“I always imagine them at nightfall, in the dusk of a slum or a vacant lot, in that long quiet moment when things are gradually left alone, with their backs to the sunset, and when colors are like memories or premonitions of other colors. We must not be too prodigal with our angels; they are the last divinities we harbor, and they might fly away.”

Beautiful, right?

So, yeah, I'll post more later about this adventure I'm starting, and I do hope you'll check in!

After Reading: Angelfire

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:51 AM

by Courtney Allison Moulton

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Hmm, so, I'm a little torn about this book. There were parts of it that I absolutely adored. Like, couldn't put it down in the middle of the night adored. The banter between Ellie and Will? Awesome. The fight scenes? Perfect. The connection with Ellie? Not so great. I don't know what it was, but in reading this, I felt like there was some distance between the reader and the MC--which isn't so great when it's a first person narrative, right? It's one of those classic examples of "distant first person" as I call it. Sure, we're following what's going on through the MC's eyes, but at the same time it reads more like third person--ie, very little insight into her mind. There were a few times when this cleared up (toward the end was much better), but overall I wanted to feel more for Ellie (because, let's be honest here, she kicks butt!) but I couldn't. Anyhow, I will certainly be checking out the second book: Wings of the Wicked, in hopes of seeing more of Will (um, yeah, yum) and hopefully more of Ellie's personality.
Don't forget to enter my contest! All you need to do is comment!

Contest!

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:36 AM

Okay, so I've never done this on my blog before, and I'm a little nervous no one will enter, but I figure it's worth a shot! I want to do something to give back a little after the past week of epic awesome (not that I can in any way hope to top selling my book, but hey, a girl can try!). So here's the details:

In honor of my first book, I'm giving away some other favorite firsts in series that I have loved:

Up for grabs:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Need by Carrie Jones
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

There will be four winners--please let me know which book you would like!

To enter, all you need to do is follow my blog (friend me on Livejournal or subscribe to the RSS feed via a blog reader such as google's) and leave a comment below. I will close the contest on Friday the 17th at midnight, and announce the winner on Saturday. (Contest it open only in the US, sorry!). Interested in some extra entries? Spread the word on Facebook, twitter, or your own blog and leave a separate post with a link to your post!

Questions in the comments and good luck!

The Graduation Post

By: Meradeth Houston on 7:14 AM

This past week has been something of a blur due to the giant party and ceremony on Thursday. See, I participated in the Graduate Studies ceremony, walking to receive my doctorate. YAY! Not that this means that I'm entirely done (I am still waiting on comments from my other two committee members, however I do have a very nice preliminary draft of my dissertation sitting on my hard-drive, which makes me happy!), nor do I have a job anywhere waiting for me, but getting to celebrate a little was awesome. My family was out in force, along with good friends and co-workers, and we had a giant lunch with lots of talking and laughing. I am really blessed with a great family and wonderful friends!

So, this whole last week has me thinking: I've had some awesome things happening from selling Colors Like Memories, to getting a huge step closer to being finished with grad school, to having a great party with friends and family. And it's time to give back a little :) I'm not sure about the details yet, but look for a contest this next week (it'll be writing related more than likely), and so do check back!

For right now, I think I'm going to take some much needed rest. This week has totally zapped me!

After Reading: Clockwork Angel

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:19 AM

by Cassandra Clare

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

I haven't read any of Clare's books in a while, since ripping through The Mortal Instrument series (well, the first 3, I need to get myself a copy of the next book!) and as I read until 2am last night, I remembered just why I enjoyed her writing so much. It's fast, it's furious, and I really love her vividly painted settings. Ahh, so fun! I did find this one to get off to a bit of a slow start, and Tessa didn't really feel as developed as a character as I would have liked until further into the book, but once things got rolling, it was loads of fun! It bears a LOT of similarities to The Mortal Instrument books :)

Also, just as a random note, I really seriously hope that Tessa goes for the "nice" guy in this series. What is it about books and the girl always wanting to get with the "bad boy"? I don't get it. Actually, it kind of irks me. Anyhow, random rant aside, do check this book out!

Too Dark?

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:31 AM

There's been quite a bit of hype lately about this post, by Megan Cox Gurgon. Actually, there are responses around the net that have very articulately handled her bashing of YA as a very dark and dreary place that talks about topics that no young adult should ever be exposed to. The article had my blood pumping too fast, and although there are others out there who can talk about it better than me, I have to add my thoughts. And mainly, that's that HELLO, this person clearly hasn't been anywhere near a high school lately. Let's be honest here--YA's today are exposed to such a crazy amount of sex, drugs, alcohol, and other insanities that is anyone tries to pretend that they aren't seeing the same things in real life as in the books they read, well, they just have no idea. Now, obviously, not the fantastical elements, but still. The Dark and Horrible things that have remained out of literature due to cultural taboo are well and thriving in today's YA world.

Sure, there may be some teens that are still living in an innocent world. And guess what? There are books out there for them. Really, there are. It may take a little looking at times, but they do exist. They are good. But those teens are few and far between. The real world is not a nice place, and I for one would have appreciated being able to read books about that when I was growing up. Just to know I wasn't alone in the less pleasant aspects of my life would have been a wonderful help. Teens today need to see that despite the world around them, they are free to make their own choices of what kind of person they want to be--and that's a theme that runs through countless YA books.

Anyhow, that's a few of my thoughts on the matter. I love my dark YA books and I certainly won't stop reading them. Or writing them, for that matter! Happy reading!

Ack! OMG! LOL! (and many other 3-letter exclamations, like WOW!)

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:31 AM

(Okay, maybe I should have calmed down a bit more before writing this post, but hey, I'm allowed some seriously excitement here!)

Colors Like Memories is going to be published!!! Release date is tentatively set for May 2012! *faints*

(Honestly, who really does faint at stuff like that? I've always wondered. Maybe if I were wearing a tight corset or something, but otherwise, really?!?)

Okay, so, here's the deal: I was lurking over at the Blue Boards (as I am want to do, instead of working) and found some people discussing an e-publisher in Canada called MuseItUp. I decided, hey, this is interesting, and spent a good while combing through their website, reading their blog, checking them out. They looked pretty sweet! And, see, I have this manuscript. I adore it. Like, it's my child. And I didn't want it to go the way of all the earth (as I was seriously beginning to fear it might). So I pulled it all together and decided it was worth sending it to Muse. Yikes! This was a big step for me. I've always kind of thought that I would go the more traditional agent route, but quite frankly, that route is changing. Publishing is changing. And seeing as how I've read quite a few e-books this past year, and the trend is only getting stronger, I thought this was a really awesome opportunity for my book-baby. Anyhow, I'll cut out the couple of weeks of anxious email-checking, but this morning I got an EMAIL of AWESOMENESS! Said EoA was an acceptance. Followed for a contract, and some other information.

*Insert skipping and jumping around my little apartment here* (I'm sure my neighbors downstairs officially think I've lost it at this point.)

Anyhow, my book-baby is going to get published! It's going to hopefully be read by other people! I mean, that's what I really wanted from this whole publication-hunt thing in the first place. And now I get to work with real editors and real cover designers, and holy cow, this is really happening.

(I'm fairly certain my excitement is coming through here, right?)

So, yeah. It's been a crazy journey. So many highs and lows and stretches of utter blah. And now? Now the real work starts! I can't wait!

Comfort Books

By: Meradeth Houston on 6:05 AM

Some people have comfort food (and I'll admit, some chocolate works pretty well for me!), but this past week I've just needed something to read that makes me feel good. Comfort books. It's been a long week getting down to the end of school, and so I picked up a few books that I've loved, but read before. I particularly enjoyed re-reading Torment by Lauren Kate :) The sequel comes out in a week or so and it was nice to delve back into a world I enjoy and have some fun. Plus, it's nice to pick up on a few details that I think will have a role to play in Passion. (I spend altogether too much time lost in book worlds, especially Kate's...) Anyhow, other books I love re-reading for the fun of it: A Wrinkle in Time, Twilight (I know, I know), Firelight, Hunger Games, etc.

The real reason I sat down to write this post, however, is the question of re-reading. I have a few friends that are completely confounded by the thought of doing so, which I honestly can't understand. I mean, I loved it the first time, why wouldn't I want to go back? Still, there are more than a few people out there who think it's something they've done once, so why do it again? It's not like the ending will change. Or maybe there's another reason? If so, I'd like to hear it! Because I just don't understand.