Forever Julia Cover Revealed!

It's here! It's here!

My breath-taking book cover is here!

My most awe inspiring patience has been rewarded.

Good things happen to those who wait. 

(Even if the wait is only 17 1/4 hours.)

Forever Julia

Launching Spring 2015

Forever Julia is a humorous, yet at times dark, contemporary novel about a 16 year-old girl struggling to accept the death of her father. She falls for a wealthy and controlling boy who leads her to betray her friends and sacrifice her integrity. Ultimately, she alone must decide what lines cannot be crossed. It is Mystic Pizza meets 90210 on the Canadian Prairies and is full of romance, heart-break, and dangerous secrets. 

And a heartfelt thank you to the creative genius of 

Great Plains Teen Fiction. 

You continue to make Forever Julia better.

Forever Julia. Forever Awesome Cover!

Okay, I am beyond excited to share my book cover for Forever Julia with the world. 

Thrilled. Overjoyed. 

Pumped Up! 

But, I can't. Not yet. I must be patient.

It is killing me. 

This is a perfect likeness of me: 

All pent up excitement. Near tears and screaming. And if I was 4 years old again.

But soon, I hope I'll get the green light, peeps. Then bazinga! I will blast that cover across the interwebs.

Wish me patience. 

Perhaps this would be a good time to meditate...

The Manitoba Writers' Guild, Rocks!

Sheldon Oberman

The Manitoba Writers' Guild offers many workshops, masterclasses, and information sessions on writing and the publishing industry.

They also offer the highly regarded Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program. Through a submission process the selection committee pairs mentors with apprentices and I was honoured to be selected as an apprentice in 2013.

The experience changed by writing life.

And as if being accepted wasn't enough of a thrill, I was paired with Carolyn Gray, now Executive Director of The Guild. Under Carolyn's gentle guidance, I ditched 14 of my darling chapters, replacing them with better written, faster paced scenes that actually contained plot!

Yes, plot peeps. Every story needs one.

My goal, which I stated with firm conviction and a wavering voice at the "meet and great", was to come out of the program with a submission-ready, young adult manuscript. Carolyn worked tirelessly, always questioning, but never fixing my writing. One word scrawled along the margin was all I needed to reexamine the text;

Motivation? POV? 

or my favourite...

Really? 

And then came the dreaded, square brackets.

If I found [around any text] it was a recommendation to delete that sentence, phrase, or paragraph. We'd discuss the passage and explore it's importance and 99% of the time, out that bit would come. Carolyn taught me to recognize my bad writing habits and how to write cleaner and tighter, without losing voice. I will always cherish the hours we spent editing and laughing at McNally's Prairie Fire Restaurant as we scoured every word I'd written.

Now, I am proud to say, "our" work has been picked up by
Great Plains Publications. 

Forever Julia is to launch in spring 2015, all thanks to The Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program and my mentor and dear friend, 

Carolyn Gray.

"Lady Gray"

A New Novel Begins

Today is a day of firsts.

I've never shared on my blog a section from one of my works in progress. I thought I'd pull out some courage and give it a go. Plus, many of my non-writer friends seem quite curious about the writing process.

When I was accepted into the Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program, I shelved the young adult novel I was then writing. 

This past 9 months has brought me many writing rewards. Most importantly, three days ago I finished a complete rewrite of the novel I worked on with my mentor Carolyn Gray. It began as, Who Needs Romeo - A Tale of a Modern Day Juliet and finished as, Forever Julia.

It is the best novel I have written thus far. At least that's how I feel about my development as a writer.

This stretch of time has also allowed for the novel I cast aside to peculate in my mind, and my brain, and my head too. Yes, I am a die hard fan of Jack Black's School of Rock.

Yesterday I returned to, Gemini, writing a new first chapter. It gave me goosebumps. 

Will it survive my final edit? Who knows. 

I only know that it feels like the right start for now.

I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

Truth [trooth]  

actuality or actual existence.

In the shadows lurked the truth.

And it floated through the jack pines and skimmed over the peat bogs straight to the old log cottage that sat high on the rocks.

In the shadows lurked the truth.

And it hovered outside a bedroom window, where it peered through the cracked yellow plastic blind.

In the shadows it lurked.

And it melted into that room and waited at the end of the bed for the sleeping girl to see it.

In the shadows lurked the truth.

And at the first pale light of dawn, Kate screamed.

Dare to Dream It!

www.wildthingsrunfree.com

Dare to Dream It! Work to Achieve It! 

This is the motto at the amazing school I work at as an extremely part time secretary. I've had a lot of jobs and I can easily say, working at Linden Meadows School is the best job - ever - outside of writing - which, for me, is too exhilarating to be classified as work.

Writing is my passion and something I need to do - like breathing. Or eating mountains of chocolate.

Yes, I know.
My brows are Tres Brooke Shields.
I'm hoping for a spa day from Santa.

This week has been filled with awesome moments that have confirmed that listening to Drew and my fellow Anitas to NOT quit writing, back in January, was the best decision I have made all year. Perhaps even the best decision I've made in the past several years.

On Monday I picked up my gorgeous Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food (and Other Life Lessons) posters from Prolific printers. A huge thank you to Rana DiOrio, Chief Executive Pickle of Little Pickle Press for donating them to our fundraising campaign for Asperger Manitoba Inc. We'll be selling them at various events over the next 6 months and all proceeds go to Asperger Manitoba.

Today, whilst picking up meatballs and lingonberry jam at IKEA, I received a surprising email, which sent me happy dancing around the cinnamon bun display.

I've been accepted into the Sheldon Oberman Mentorship Program run through The Manitoba Writers' Guild! Over the next 5 months I work with a mentor on my Young Adult manuscript, Who Needs Romeo - A Tale of a Modern Day Juliet. Being accepted into this program, is a true honor and is exactly what I need to get Who Needs Romeo, publication ready.

Here's a brief bio of my mentor, Carolyn Gray. 

Mentor. 

How utterly cool is that? 

Carolyn Gray, who is a Winnipeg writer, actor, director, designer, and puppeteer. She is a founding member of Adhere and Deny Object Puppet Theatre, helmed by Grant Guy. Her full-length play, The Elmwood Visitation, was produced by Theatre Projects Manitoba in 2007 and won the Manitoba Day Award for excellence in archival research. Catarinetta was produced by the MTYP Junior Company the following year. Her most recent play, North Main Gothic (Scirocco), premiered this April with Theatre Projects Manitoba. Gray was the 2008 winner of the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer.


Follow this link to find out more about the Sheldon Oberman Mentorship program: http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/programs-services/the-sheldon-oberman-mentorship-program/

Looking to join the Manitoba Writers' Guild? Click on this link: http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/


Find out more about Asperger Manitoba here: http://www.asperger-manitoba.ca/

Fellow writers, do NOT lose hope. Keep the faith. 

Follow your passion and keep on writing.

Dare to Dream It! Work to Achieve It!

www.austinwilcox.tumblr.com

60 Second Research

www.psychology.unl.edu

 

 

I'm all about research.

It makes any story more real and believable. It adds that verisimilitude quality that writers crave.

Ah, verisimilitude, my all time favourite word.

 

ver·i·si·mil·i·tude

   /ˌvɛrəsɪˈmɪlɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ Show Spelled[ver-uh-si-mil-i-tood, -tyood]  noun
- the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability: eg. The play lacked verisimilitude.

 

Thus research leads to a feeling of truth to what you are writing. This makes readers connect with your characters and your story, believing that "this could actually happen to me or someone I know." This is especially important when you write for children and young adults, as I do.

 

www.marchofdimes.com

Like an archaeologist digging for ancient treasures or a geneticist studying DNA, I study the under 18 crowd.

 

And where can you find prime specimens to study? The mall is like a teen aquarium, perfect for the professional eavesdropper and covert note taker, such as myself.

 

(Important to remember - this is far different than stalking kids. That will get you jail time. Think of this as a handy tip from me to you.)

 

What if you haven't the time or inclination to spend hours sitting on a hard metal bench recording the world go by?

 

Might I suggest a 60 second survey of your own kids and their friends. This morning, prior to 8:30, and still in my comfy jammies, I gleaned these 4 important truths: 

 

Fact: Big sisters are annoying, especially if they are 13.

Fact: You don't want to turn 13, if you can help it.

Fact: 11 and 12 year old girls HATE being called tweens.

Fact: Think hard about getting bangs. Growing hair back takes, like, forever.

 

Another handy tip:

you'll know if you've gone over your allotted 60 seconds when your child's eye rolling begins.

 

 

www.pegasusnews.com

 

 

 

You Can Find us Somewhere Between Sexuality and Psychology

Did that get your attention?

My writers group, The Anitas, meets every second Thursday at McNally’s. The bookstore graciously allows us into their store so we can talk children’s writing, surrounded by shelves of writing success stories – a.k.a. published books. It’s our own Nirvana. Jocks have their stadiums, music lovers have their concert halls, and writers have their bookstores.

Our favourite location is the Atrium, where we gather, nestled under the ceiling-high tree, at a safe distance from the curious attention of customers. Its wide branches cocoon us in a safe space as we share our latest work.

If the Atrium is being used for book launches, we slide over to the Travel Section, which is still cozy, tucked into a far corner of the store. But, here there are more interruptions into our “safe space” by book lovers searching the shelves to discover their next dream vacation destination.

Now, if the travel section is full we’re bumped and relocated to our most entertaining location, wedged between Sexuality and Psychology. Not so much two hours of safe sharing, but more a night of living on the wild side.

At our first meeting in S&P, we thought it somewhat appropriate for a gaggle of young-adult writers. Teens’ hormones are surging, their brain development is struggling to keep pace with their body development, and the adults in their lives are desperate to better understand the young adult their child is quickly becoming.

Ooh, that does sound like a match made in writing heaven, doesn’t it?

Perhaps. But more often we find ourselves transformed into a circle of giggling adolescents, as the “sexually adventurous” scour the shelves behind us.  

We’ve had couples snuggling far, far too closely, leafing through the pages of Karma Sutra for Dummies, hipster men on quick reconnaissance, no browsing; just in and out with how-to-book in hand, and finally our least favourite; the greasy trench-coat wearing geezers. They slowly lurk behind us while we sit wide eyed, staring at each other, willing ourselves to remain mature and not break into fits of laughter.

But last night we had a new shopper. Last night we had a lovely looking girl next door twenty-something, scanning the titles for help with, ahem, the big “O”. She arrived while I was reading a particularly steamy first kiss scene from my latest WIP.

Think back to when you were 15 or 16. Do you remember sitting in the bleachers, watching a high school basketball game and your knee bumped against the cute boy sitting next to you? And he didn’t move away when it did? What about the first time a girl held your hand? Who can forget their first kiss?

The girl, on her quest for o capitalization, could hear every word as I read this section:

His lips glide towards mine and…he’s kissing me. Fireworks explode in my brain and shoot down to my belly, blasting through my legs and arms. A kaleidoscope of emotion bursts out of me. Sheer joy mixed with something so…intoxicating, and raunchy. That’s it. Total, raunchy lust. It’s the ‘I’d like to rip his clothes off’ lust you read about in Cosmo and I gotta say, I like it!

At which point, we were interrupted by her giggles. She turned around “O” book in hand and asked, “Maybe I should be asking you guys, which book to buy. Is this one any good?”

After we calmed down, we were able to explain that we were not “those” kinds of writers. 

So, we survived our first interaction with the sexually adventurous. Hmm, another first. This encounter went smoothly, but not something I’d like to repeat, because the odds are against us. Pretty sure this would be a far different posting if an old greasy dude had invaded our circle of sharing. Shudder. Gag. Blanch.

If you see us in the S&P section next time you’re at McNally’s, don’t stop for a chat. It’s awkward. Just sayin’.

Serene, peaceful, writing retreat weekend...ear plugs required.

Months of anticipation and planning are almost over. Finally our writing retreat weekend is less than two weeks away. Two solid days of lake-side writing; no phone, no kids, and no interruptions, unless you count the dawn to dusk scheduled jack-hammering of the paper mill they're demolishing down the bay.

Seriously.

Planned deconstruction times: 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday.

The owner of the B&B actually said, it's so loud, you can't think. A possible hurdle for five writers looking to find their inner zen and tap into a flowing stream of words.

All, is not lost, for we are a resourceful bunch and I have suggested, what I like to call, "Carmichael's Cozy Cottage and Camper Plan B." Five eager writers, one six hundred square foot two bedroom cottage, and a mondo camper in the back yard.

So, when your dream retreat in the wilderness turns into an ear-piercing power tool nightmare, I suppose you could use the complementary ear plugs (found next to the elf-sized shampoo bottles in your bathroom), grin, and pretend you are such a dedicated and driven writer that can work through even a sonic boom, or...you could graciously accept the offered deposit refund, pick up a crisp bottle of chardonnay, and flee to the relative calm of Chez Carmichael.

Fingers crossed the neighbours decide to postpone their deck building party.