I have to gush. Bear with me. Here goes...

I have so many amazing writer friends. I would try to list them all, but I know I would accidentally leave someone out. And I definitely would not want to do that. I think all of you know who you are. Right? These friends inspire and encourage me daily. They are ALWAYS (yes, the caps are intentional) available to help when I need them. When I'm feeling bummed out about writing and want to give up, they give me the boost I need to keep going, keep persevering. So my gratitude goes a long way. That being said, I am absolutely thrilled to help one of them out.

J.L. Campbell releases her new middle grade book, Christine's Odyssey, on March 27, 2013, and I am so there. I am super excited for her and wish her oodles of success.

A domestic dispute.

A family shattered.

A shocking discovery.

A girl on a quest.

A life changed forever.

In addition to the release, J.L. is hosting a contest and giveaway with some truly amazing book packs. To find out more about each of the books and/or to help spread the word, take a road trip over to J.L. Campbell's site!

Here are some of the gift packs:
 

On March 27th, which pack will you choose?

Feed Your YA Book Craving Giveaway

It’s time for a giveaway.

In celebration of the release of my first YA novel, SUPERSTITIONS, I have decided to take the plunge and release the grip on some of my YA books.

 

 

Ellie’s mother walked out on her a few years ago and she refuses to believe her mom won’t come back. To make matters worse, her dad is marrying another woman and her best friend Kyle dumped her for a cheerleader. But when Ellie meets quirky Alexander and learns about his map, his quest, and his background, she finally discovers a way to heal.

The winner may choose two YA books from the following:

Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. by Medeia Shaif



The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

 

 

 

Matched by Ally Condie



 

Endless Summer and The Boys Next Door (counts as one book) by Jennifer Echols

 

 

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

 

 

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Just enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The more you share, the more entries you receive. Thanks for entering and spreading the word about SUPERSTITIONS.

 

The winner also receives an e-book copy of SUPERSTITIONS.

 

This is a U.S./Canadian giveaway that ends on September 8th. Winner will be announced on September 9th.

 

Superstitions is available in both e-book and paperback

 

Amazon

Smashwords

CreateSpace

 

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Publishing News

·       I have finally set the release date for SUPERSTITIONS. It will be August 8th, barring any snags.

Ellie’s mom walked out on her a few years ago, and she refuses to believe her mom won’t come back. To make matters worse, her dad is marrying another woman, and her best friend Kyle dumped her for a cheerleader. But when Ellie meets quirky Alexander and learns about his map, his quest, and his background, she finally finds a way to heal.

·        This week, I ordered the proof copy of FRACTURED in print edition. As soon as I look it over and give my seal of approval, it will be available for sale in paperback.

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When Anna Kincaid has a miscarriage, her world comes crashing to a halt. Grief overwhelms her life and she combats it with prescription medication. Her husband Lloyd does not see the event as tragic. In fact, not ready to be a father, he is relieved at the news. This creates a chasm in their marriage and splits them apart. Both Anna and Lloyd find themselves moving in different directions. Anna finds hope in a young, male colleague named Ben and comfort in her narcotics. Lloyd loses himself in work. Will their marriage survive the miscarriage, or will it always remain fractured?

·       Finally, in the comments section, let me know why you’d like to read FRACTURED (if you haven’t already read it). The person with the most interesting (isn’t that a relative term?) comment will receive a free ebook copy of the book. Be sure to leave your email address or a way to contact you.

For those of you who asked: Madagascar 3 was very cute.

Happy Tuesday!

Giveaway

The first ten people to tweet, share on Facebook, or otherwise spread the word about My Life as a Misfit will receive a Smashwords coupon for a free copy of the book. If you’ve already purchased it, you can pass the coupon along to a friend.

It isn’t easy being the last remaining person at the dinner table, or being forced to square dance with a group of sweaty seventh graders in a school cafeteria. My Life as a Misfit shows the humorous side of growing up in the 1980s from the perspective of a less-than-popular misfit.

To receive a coupon, just do the following:

• Be one of the first ten people to comment
• In your comment, state where you shared the book (no proof needed, just you word of honor)
• Be sure to type an email address, so I have a place to send the coupon.

And that’s it! Thanks for spreading the word.

You can find My Life as a Misfit on Amazon and Smashwords for $0.99 in e-book form.

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WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should BeReading.

To play along, answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Just started it, so I am not too sure what I think of it yet.

What did you recently finish reading?

Hmmm...There was some degree of inconsistency in voice; contradictions in the lines such as “It wasn’t fun sneaking into her room without living there—not that I ever snuck in when she was living at home (then why mention it at all?); the weak themes of death; and the forced dropping of too many 70s and 80s references. Plus, I simply could not relate to Holloway. I had little sympathy for her and her situations. I really wanted to like it, though. Does that count for anything?

I really, really liked this book. I think it may just be my favorite Ellen Hopkins book so far. I was a little shocked by the ending. But I did not want to put this down. I read it in one day J As a side note: As many of you probably know, Ellen Hopkins writes in free verse, which I think is way cool. However, it does not at all distract the reader from the storytelling. I’m off to the library to pick up more Ellen Hopkins books today.

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m moving my reading over to the Kindle for my next reads:

by Ann Best. Click here for her website.

by D. Biswas. Click here for her website.

Oh yeah…and maybe some more Ellen Hopkins. I’m thinking Tricks.

 Don't forget my book giveaway!

*Click here to post a comment to enter to win one of four books*

·         Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

·         The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

·         What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blumdell

·         L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

Happy reading!

Six Things I Did Today...and Book Giveaway

 1. Woke Up Tired. I was up until midnight reading Anna and the French Kiss. But I tossed and turned until 2:00, thinking about the upcoming change in schedule with the kiddos going back to school. Where would writing fit in to the chaos of dropping and picking up several times a day; homework; soccer; PT; swimming lessons; gymnastics; every-three-hour feeding for the youngest? Plus, I always get sentimental when the boys go back to school. It shows me the rapid passage of time and—as crazy as it sounds—I grieve the passing of summer and their return to school.

2. Reflected. My Travel Tuesday Giveaway from last week was a bust. Honestly, no one entered. Upon reflection, I think the whole thing was too much work for people (specifics of the giveaway are here). But we learn from our mistakes, right? That being said, I still would like to give the books away. They are:

This time, in order to enter, all you have to do is post a comment with the book you want and with your email address so I can contact you if you win. If more than one person wants a particular book, then I will randomly select a winner. It would be super nice if you were a follower of the blog (but it’s not a requirement) and ultra cool if you tweeted or spread the word through social networking about the giveaway (still not a requirement). But you must live in the U.S. or Canada because of this silly, little thing we have in our household called a budget. Giveaway ends Saturday, August 27^th.

3. Reflected Some More. I have written oh-so little this summer. A lot of it has to do with the desire to spend time with my kids. Some of it has to do with lack of discipline and structure. Now that the kids are going back to school, I seriously need to write. As much as I want to promote Our Life on the Road, it seems a bit premature (I mean, the book is not even published). So, I am going to temporarily ditch Travel Tuesday and use the time to work on my WIP, my revisions, and on developing my other ideas. But since I truly enjoy blogging and connecting with other writers, I plan to blog about my progress and goals. I know, it sounds like a boring blog entry, huh? I’ll strive to keep it not boring.

4. Read Sample Chapters. On my Kindle. Not sample chapters of my own work, but of other published authors. Of books I may want to buy, but am too reluctant to purchase (that budget thing again). Already, I have read from…

I think I may purchase The Duff, but A Thousand Hills is so not what I want to read right now. Seems much too political rather than a human-based story.

5. Read/Listened. Read Percy Jackson The Sea of Monsters (one chapter) to the oldest. Listened to him read Horrible Harry in Room 2B (one chapter) to me.

6. Piano. I have been trying to give my older son piano lessons—trying being the operative word. He is reluctant to learn from me and does not take kindly to my suggestions. Maybe he will learn through osmosis J

Blog Awards and Giveaway

I used to work as a Ride Operator at Six Flags Great America. On slow days, some of the rides (usually the non-roller coaster types) experienced lulls with nearly empty queue lines. Occasionally, the same riders looped around to ride over and over again.

I liken Friday’s #queryclinic to one of those rides on one of those days with me being the only rider. So—for the time being—#Queryclinic, the Ride will close due to LOI (or lack of interest).

But to make Friday a celebratory day nonetheless, I have decided to share two blog awards I recently received:

The Versatile Blogger Award from Shawna at My Journey.

If you have not yet visited Shawna’s blog, you absolutely need to head over there. She blogs about her writing journey with grace and humor. I know she is destined for great things.

and

The Creative Blog Award from Nutschell at The Writing Nut.

Her blog is filled with information and insightful posts. I could spend hours perusing her site. It is a must-see! So head on over to visit her, as well.

Thank you both for bestowing the awards upon me. I am very grateful and honored!

Also, I am offering a YA Book Giveaway in celebration of 100 posts/100 Followers. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. So click here to enter. The giveaway ends Wednesday, July 6^th.

The #queryclinic Experiment

Thanks to those of you who provided feedback on my #queryclinic idea. The premise behind it is to post a query letter on your blog on Friday, leave a comment on this blog page so others know you are participating, then hop around to provide constructive feedback to others while you receive some on your own.

Today it is an experiment. At the end of the day, I may be the only participant. But hopefully not.

So today I am posting a much-revised version of a query that has been around for awhile. I did get one request for a full based on an earlier version of it. Perhaps I should return to that one. So here it is. Feel free to leave feedback in the comments section. And thanks for your participation.

Dear [ ]:

The victim of high school bullying, Noelle has had enough. The popular crowd has made her life a living hell. Despite this, Noelle’s best friend longs to be part of their group. When Noelle befriends the new rebel of the school, she moves from a naïve and complacent Catholic school girl to a rebellious teenager obsessed with revenge. As she teeters on the edge of losing her best friend, her boyfriend, and herself, she has to decide if her revenge is worth the price.

Since your agency represents young adult fiction and authors whose work I enjoy reading, such as [fill in the blanks], you may be interested in my contemporary novel, OUTCAST, set in modern-day Scottsdale, Arizona. It bears similarities to BURNED by Ellen Hopkins in that it contains a realistic ending and focuses on the darker dimensions of the main character and her life. The manuscript is complete at 87,000 words and is available upon request.

I have written three novels and have been published at The Fertile Source and Cliterature Journal. I was a writer with Inside/Outside Magazine, penning the publication’s “With the Kids” column.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Susan Oloier

Also, don't forget to visit Shelley Watter's blog for another of her unbelievable giveaways, which begins tomorrow.

Finally, come back next Wednesday. I plan to have some sort of book giveaway. Just haven't mapped out all the details yet.