Thanks to my good friend and super-blogger Brooke Johnson, I have recently found out about this really spectacular event. It's called the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, which is hosted by The Story Siren. As I am one who definitely supports new authors, I decided to give it a go.
The objective is to read at least twelve young adult or middle school level books by the end of 2011. They must be a debut release for the author, and be released within the year. After reading each book, you're supposed to review it (via posting about it on your blog and whatnot).
So, here is my list for this up-and-coming review-fest:
January- Eilis O'Neal; The False Princess (1/25/2011 EgmontUSA)
February- Elsbeth Edgar; The Visconti House (2/22/2011 Candlewick)
March- Ryan G. Van Cleave; Unlocked (3/1/2011 Walker Books for Young Readers)
April- Lucy Jago; The Coven's Daughter (4/19/2011 Hyperion Book)
May- Jessi Kirby; Moonglass (5/3/2011 Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
June- Melanie Welsh; Mistress of the Storm (6/14/2011 David Fickling Books)
July- Michelle Ray; Falling for Hamlet (7/5/2011 Poppy)
August- Sara Grant; Dark Parties (8/3/2011 Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
September- Kiki Hamilton; The Faerie Ring (TBA Tor Books)
October- Alex Epstein; The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay (10/1/2011 Tradewinds)
November- Rae Carson; The Girl of Fire and Thorns (TBA Greenwillow)
December- Mary Lindsey; Shattered Souls (12/8/2011 Penguin/Philomel)
I might add a few extras in there, between gaps in releases, so be on the lookout for updates! And as always, fair travelers of the digital infrastructure, stay safe in your journeys.
Diamonds and Dynamite
A simple guide to all things small and unexpected.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Quick blurb during the holidays.
Just wanted to let everyone out there in cyberspace know I wish them the happiest of all their revered holidays. Since there are too many to really list, please use the following template in my stead.
Dear ____________, I wish you the best ______________ that you've ever had. I hope that you receive the _____________ that you wanted, you ate plenty of helpings of _________________ and spent as much time with ______________________ as you could. May this be the perfect closing of your year, and brighter days be ahead for you. Love, Katy.
Also, the lovely Brooke Johnson is having a holiday contest over at Brookenomicon. It's totally worth checking out. Plus, her non-contest blogs are very compelling and insightful for those of us who hope to ever become real writers. Please drop by and pay her a visit.
Have a safe trip out there in those tubes and drive carefully out in the real world. This time of year does tend to get a bit crazy on the roads.
Dear ____________, I wish you the best ______________ that you've ever had. I hope that you receive the _____________ that you wanted, you ate plenty of helpings of _________________ and spent as much time with ______________________ as you could. May this be the perfect closing of your year, and brighter days be ahead for you. Love, Katy.
Also, the lovely Brooke Johnson is having a holiday contest over at Brookenomicon. It's totally worth checking out. Plus, her non-contest blogs are very compelling and insightful for those of us who hope to ever become real writers. Please drop by and pay her a visit.
Have a safe trip out there in those tubes and drive carefully out in the real world. This time of year does tend to get a bit crazy on the roads.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A tidbit of musical inclination.
As I wait for my favorite vice to be available once more (curse those large World of Warcraft changes that causes my server to be down!) I find myself occupying myself in a way I rarely do anymore. I've plugged in my headphones and sit here before the computer listening to the random ministrations of sound, noise, and banter that compose modern music. Prior to my Azerothian addiction, I listened to music for hours at a time. Sadly, I haven't been doing so. So, I've made a vow to myself to enjoy more audio-candy as a method of sparking some creative juices.
Now, I'm sure you must be wondering what in the world that has anything to do with anything. Well, darling explorers of the internet, let me enlighten you. Music has influenced humanity since the beginning, when the first men pounded rocks on larger rocks and when the breeze sounding through river reeds made the first women dance. Whether you enjoy the same styles of music as me is unimportant. Indeed, I honestly could care less what the person in the next website over is listening to. I'm not sure how many people are aware of this, but I am an author-in-training. (Odd turn of phrase? I think not.) My specialty is, like many, fantasy.
Fantasy. Where just about anything can happen, right? Of course. And most of the time I have no problems contemplating the actions of my heroine and her companions, but there are always those occasions where I have no idea what's going on. Typically my beloved little protagonist takes over and goes in a direction all on her own and I'm struggling to keep up. See, children, this is the tie-in. I use the music I enjoy to put my characters all on the same page as me, no pun intended. But music is unrelated to a novel, you say. And I disagree.
Let me give you a good example, without revealing too much of the story. We have our heroine, Cyra, facing down against her nemesis, Nephi. They've been at odds since the novel's opening. We're at their climactic, storyline-enhancing, all or nothing showdown. They're both skilled with the blade; the battle begins. Now, I struggled for quite a while trying to picture the fight as it progresses. To be fair, I know how I want it to start and end ... but the middle? Not a clue. Enter my playlist, chock full of lovely, European metal serenades and power chords. Ah yes, now we get it. The battle practically writes itself, synchronized with each note.
Granted, the reader isn't going to have my mp3 player sitting in their lap to hear what I do when those swords clash and ring out, but hopefully the result is the same. If I've followed instinct and skill correctly, the battle should be as fluid as the song I chose to write to. The readers won't need my specific list to see how their skirmish resolves.
All this rambling means, travelers, is that I'm reclaiming my inspiration. Perhaps I'll get some excellent chapters out of all of this. If not, at least I've remembered just what helps keep me going. As much as I find my vice to be entertaining and cathartic, there's a whole world of characters waiting for me to script their own scenes. Wish me luck!
Now, I'm sure you must be wondering what in the world that has anything to do with anything. Well, darling explorers of the internet, let me enlighten you. Music has influenced humanity since the beginning, when the first men pounded rocks on larger rocks and when the breeze sounding through river reeds made the first women dance. Whether you enjoy the same styles of music as me is unimportant. Indeed, I honestly could care less what the person in the next website over is listening to. I'm not sure how many people are aware of this, but I am an author-in-training. (Odd turn of phrase? I think not.) My specialty is, like many, fantasy.
Fantasy. Where just about anything can happen, right? Of course. And most of the time I have no problems contemplating the actions of my heroine and her companions, but there are always those occasions where I have no idea what's going on. Typically my beloved little protagonist takes over and goes in a direction all on her own and I'm struggling to keep up. See, children, this is the tie-in. I use the music I enjoy to put my characters all on the same page as me, no pun intended. But music is unrelated to a novel, you say. And I disagree.
Let me give you a good example, without revealing too much of the story. We have our heroine, Cyra, facing down against her nemesis, Nephi. They've been at odds since the novel's opening. We're at their climactic, storyline-enhancing, all or nothing showdown. They're both skilled with the blade; the battle begins. Now, I struggled for quite a while trying to picture the fight as it progresses. To be fair, I know how I want it to start and end ... but the middle? Not a clue. Enter my playlist, chock full of lovely, European metal serenades and power chords. Ah yes, now we get it. The battle practically writes itself, synchronized with each note.
Granted, the reader isn't going to have my mp3 player sitting in their lap to hear what I do when those swords clash and ring out, but hopefully the result is the same. If I've followed instinct and skill correctly, the battle should be as fluid as the song I chose to write to. The readers won't need my specific list to see how their skirmish resolves.
All this rambling means, travelers, is that I'm reclaiming my inspiration. Perhaps I'll get some excellent chapters out of all of this. If not, at least I've remembered just what helps keep me going. As much as I find my vice to be entertaining and cathartic, there's a whole world of characters waiting for me to script their own scenes. Wish me luck!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Introduction to the Blogging World.
Well. Here I am.
Floating somewhere in the depths of cyberspace, exists now my own little planetary body called a blog. Hmm. Not that this is my first endeavor into sharing thoughts with countless faceless goers-by, but I do believe this will be the first I actually stick with.
It is pretty intriguing, you know? The idea that someone from farther than I've ever traveled could randomly search for who knows what sort of intellectual tidbit and instead trip over this thing I call my thoughts. Hopefully they don't sue me for the wasted time, the broken keyboard, or the map to get back to ... well, whatever it was they were using that new search engine for.
Here is my plan: Diamonds and Dynamite is my gift to the general public as a way to experience my thoughts on life, non-life, and the pursuit of a creative existence through written media. Redundant and cliche? Perhaps. Do I honestly care? Not in the least. Because, dear anonymous travelers of the newest technological advances, I like to talk; and if it means I'm talking to myself out here in cyberspace ... so be it.
Welcome. And don't trip.
Floating somewhere in the depths of cyberspace, exists now my own little planetary body called a blog. Hmm. Not that this is my first endeavor into sharing thoughts with countless faceless goers-by, but I do believe this will be the first I actually stick with.
It is pretty intriguing, you know? The idea that someone from farther than I've ever traveled could randomly search for who knows what sort of intellectual tidbit and instead trip over this thing I call my thoughts. Hopefully they don't sue me for the wasted time, the broken keyboard, or the map to get back to ... well, whatever it was they were using that new search engine for.
Here is my plan: Diamonds and Dynamite is my gift to the general public as a way to experience my thoughts on life, non-life, and the pursuit of a creative existence through written media. Redundant and cliche? Perhaps. Do I honestly care? Not in the least. Because, dear anonymous travelers of the newest technological advances, I like to talk; and if it means I'm talking to myself out here in cyberspace ... so be it.
Welcome. And don't trip.
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