Need to get my shit sorted

Just to give you an idea of how my brain is right now... I had to check how to spell February.
I slept in till 7am. Sleeping through both mine and my hubby's alarms. Both of the children are snotty and sick. It is the day before Valentine's day and I haven't written in 4 days.
I know why I am stuck under this unholy leviathan known as writer's block. It is because I am stressed the fuck out and it is hard to escape into worlds of your own making when you can't keep your mind on one topic.
I will not beat myself up though.
This too shall pass.
Today I am meant to be starting my healthy eating again. Coffee and a cigarette is classed as a balanced breakfast, right?
I am also meant to be hoping back on the exercise train and the quit smoking train. LOL
Wish me luck at the florist today.
I hate Valentine's day...
Hugs xxx
#onewordatatime

Writing, depression and that hag in the attic

My writing efforts lately have been pretty dismal. Personal issues, coupled with a bad beta review and BAM there it is, that hag in the attic has crept down out of her hole, through the webs of my mind to come and tell me how shit I am.

Writing can be hard enough as it is, but couple it with a mental illness and it can be near impossible. I feel sometimes that it seems to be the curse of the creative. We are sensitive, we see the world differently to non-creative folk. We take in more than any normal person should and this can be a kind of catalyst for bad mental health.

Of course, there are many different reasons for mental illness: family history, brain chemistry, the fact that I am not a doctor. There are so many factors and so many triggers, it can be difficult to determine when you should seek professional help and when you are just having crappy time. 

I once posted on social media "If you don't or never have experienced either of these things (anxiety and depression) then you are a very lucky person. Depression is the vampire that sucks all that you are out. And anxiety is the bugs that crawl under your skin to take what is left…" I stick to my guns on this description. 

Anxiety and depression are not just problems that can be cured by drugs, they are not something that you should try to deal with on your own. But the trick is recognizing this before it is too late and then doing something about it.

Depression is serious. It can and will affect more than just yourself.

If you know someone with depression and anxiety issues, please reach out to them. Don't try to fix them. Just make sure that they know you are there. And stay there... This is way more difficult than it seems. People with depression can have sudden mood swings and staying around when it seems like you are not wanted is very difficult. Even more so if you both have mental health problems.

And if you have depression or anxiety yourself then stay strong. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Let people help you back up the spiral. If you feel that you don't have anyone to turn to there are lifelines to contact in most countries. Utilize them.

Now, getting back to the writing part. I do have a sense of ... ease with my anxiety and depression. That sounds a little fucked up, but hear me out. I have an insight into a world a lot of people don't. I see things differently, I have unique experiences that my fucked up brain gives me... so I use them. Most of my stories seem to circle around some sort of mental illness. I use these things because it is what I know. I'm not saying that I have DID (what my protagonist has in Dead Bunnies) but I have had poor experiences with doctors like she has and I have been given the wrong medication and panic attacks are something of an old family friend that I know too well.

Also, about the hag in the attic. And no, I don't have an elderly tenant that lives upstairs, this is my name for the doubt and fear and self-doubt and poor self-esteem that comes creeping down from my mind. She comes down and tells me how shitty my writing is, how no one likes it, that I'll never be a REAL writer and that I like terrible in my swimming costume. 

She can be a real bitch sometimes and what she says can really affect my writing and life in general. It is important to recognize these thoughts for what they are. Bull shit. 

When these thoughts come to you try not to make any big decisions. Just keep going with your routine and politely tell her to go fuck herself.  Your writing is awesome. Your art is awesome. You are awesome.

Hugs xxx

Sad news

Today I have sad and disappointing news... My publisher has closed. With a mixture of personal issues and other things they have been forced to shut down.

They are handing all their authors back the rights to our books and cover images. All of our books and stories will be unpublished.

I'll be honest... I have no fucking idea where to go from here.

At first, I thought I might just self-publish Dead Bunnies and give away my short stories for free (like I normally do. I am a big believer in free stories.) but, for some reason, this doesn't sit well with me and there is something inside me telling me not to.

I know that I have spoken of self-publishing in the past, and I do believe that it is possible to make it work, but I have always wanted a publisher. Deep down in my little, blackened soul, I have always dreamed of the big deal. Not because of any money side, but because having a publisher means reaching a wider audience. It means being able to connect with more people.

So, maybe I will keep Dead Bunnies for now. Maybe I will put it on Wattpad and let it just be read and enjoyed by people. And then I will submit to an agent with Under The Corners of Shadows and Madness.

With a heavy heart, I bid farewell and RIP to Ink Blood Publishing. And I wish everyone connected to IBP all the best within their careers and lives. 

That is all for today...

Happy writing. Never give up hope.

Hugs xxx

I'm home!

So... For those who don't know, over a year ago I had a house fire. We have been moving around for the past 12 months and we are now... finally... back home! Halle-fucking-lujah!

This what my kitchen looked like and the rest of the house was not much fucking better. We did loose everything material, but we are all alive and healthy.

If you have ever moved house with children, then you will feel my pain. Trying to explain to your young child that 'No, sorry, we can't go home,' or 'Sorry honey, that toy is gone now,' is heartbreaking.

When we set out to the first lot of family with only the clothes on our backs, we told the kids that we were going on an adventure. 

That was all we could tell them.

It was not a lie. The past 12 months has been an adventure, alright! One that has tested my family and marriage to the brink. Tested my resolve and drive to continue my career. I won't lie, I have applied for a few jobs... I didn't get any of them, but I was still looking and sending my resume out there.

Anyway, I have gone off topic. We are home!

This is my new kitchen (& me in my PJs looking psychotic). It is black like my soul, and I love it.

So, I am starting a new project... well, technically, I will be sharing a new project. I will be sharing with you, as of next week, the story I have been working on... which happens to be the prequel to the novel I am working on.

So, stay tuned. Keep writing/making art/doing what makes you happy!

Hugs AMC
xxx

Juggling life while trying to write

Word Count: 33,875
Day: Sunny and Freezing
Mood: Not too shabby

A problem that I seem to notice a lot of novice writers and big names seem to share is the ability, or the art, of being able to juggle normal civilian life and being a writer. We can't do it all. But I think it all boils down to a few points I'm going to skim over. 

• Time management- Being a mother, I know something about time management. Something. Not a lot. This is a writing blog not a mummy blog. But all the same, we do have to learn how to manage our time. I have spoken before about setting aside time for our writing and sticking with it. This is so important. Think about the routine you already have in place. There is no need to try to shift things around if you already have a routine. And then think about where in that routine could you fit in your writing. It might be the hour when you put your child down for a nap or your lunch break at work or after you finish your homework or - in my case - I decided about 4 years ago that sleep was for the dead and started waking myself up 3 hours early than absolutely necessary. 
• Priorities- This works in with time management. I prioritised writing over sleeping in till 8am. You might watch TV before bed or sit on social media while eating breakfast or something of the like. You have to think about the things you do and pick something that is less important than the nagging story in your head. When you find it, throw that thing away and insert writing time in its place. You'll never look back.
• Habit- try to make it the same for every day. This way it will become a habit and soon you will feel weird or off if you missed out on your precious writing time.

This past week has been tricky. I have had builder appointments for our house (no, they haven't even started rebuilding the bloody thing yet #sigh It is still a burnt out little shell...) My son sliced his foot open, work was busy last week, I've had book covers to make... gaah. It's been busy. I missed a couple of days here and there and my weekly word count is not what I would like it to be, but I have still got something done. 

We, as a human race, tend to be way too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves if we don't live up to our own or (worse yet) someone else's expectations. 

Life happens sometimes and there is nothing we can do about it. The point is that we pick ourselves back up, we open that computer or notebook and keep on going. 

Sometimes we have excuses and sometimes we make them. Not having time is one of those made up excuses, I feel. I have missed out on my morning writing time before so I have made up for it by writing on my phone while on the loo. #truestory 

I have a friend with 3 children under 4 and a chronic illness, and even she finds time to write!

Juggle your life just make sure that one of those balls is for writing.

Hugs xxx

How to write a book - Routine

Writing a book is hard. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! 

I know that it is an artistic process and you want your muse to guide you and the energy has to be right or whatever ... But I think the best thing I ever did was establish a routine. A strict one.

Photos from Pixabay

It's no good wanting to have your muse guide you if that moody little being doesn't know where you are going to be and when!


Time

First thing to do is decide when your best creative flow comes. Do you work best first thing in the morning? Are you a night owl? Are you better suited to lunch-time breaks at a coffee house? Find a time during the day that works and stick to it. 

I work best first thing in the morning, when everyone is still asleep. I can sit there in my PJs at 4am and happily type away.

How long?

In the beginning I suggest setting realistic goals. If you have a day job or kids, I would suggest a time limit. Try out small ones at first. I started with 30 minutes and now I have worked up to almost 3 hours.

You could also go for a word count goal. Once again, start low. Go for a couple hundred words or less in the very beginning and work your way up. If you find that you are able to pump out the words like a machine (go you!) then up your word count. But keep it reasonable otherwise you may find that you just can't keep up with it.

What days?

Every day.

Without fail. 

Sometimes it is hard to stick to your routine in times of high stress or sickness, but try to do something. Anything. Even if you cut back, you have to keep doing something. Stephen King famously says that he used to tell interviews that he writes every day except his birthday and Christmas day, but this was a lie. He writes everyday. Just like you should!

But what about ...

So, your novel is about a thirteenth century plumber with the bad habit of skinning people alive and this requires a lot of research? Research is not writing.

You have a blog and social media to keep up with? Neither of those is writing, in the sense of what we are talking about anyway. 

I know have set in place that each day I have time set aside for other "writing" commitments, like blogging, social media, research, cover design, editing, etc. 

So, if you have similar commitments then maybe you can do what I have done.

Monday is set aside for Blogging. Tuesday is for writing my book reviews. Wednesday is the day that I blitz the crap out of social media and set up what I am going to post for the next week. Thursday is when I do Market research and plan marketing strategies. Friday is when I work on editing or cover designs that need doing. I work on these until I am done or 6.00am rolls around. Then it is straight back to writing till 7.30am.

If you don't have anything like these commitments then don't worry about it. Just focus on writing.

If you do, I find setting an alarm in my phone reminding me what I have to work on is the best thing to keeping to my schedule. 

But I don't have the time!

I remember when I used to drag myself out of bed at 7.30-8.00 every morning and just start getting the kids ready. I used to rush around the whole day and then crawl into bed and realise I didn't get to write again that day. 

You have to make the decision. How much do you want to write? How much do you need to write? What are you willing to sacrifice in order to write every day?

In the beginning, I decide I was willing to sacrifice 30 minutes. So I started waking up half hour earlier. I would set my alarm for 7.00am instead of 7.30am.

Bam! I just made time! Look out world.

It is that easy. If you want something you have to make room for it.

Writer's Block

Writer's block is one of those myths, along with the muse. You have to tell these mythical creatures that you are the boss. 

When Writer's Block hits the best thing to do is to write! Write gosh darn it, write! 

 "stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.” - Stephen King

So, go get writing!

Hugs, AMC xxx

Dead Bunnies

Hello Void!

I would like to invite anyone who reads this blog to enter the comp I have been running on social media. 

So, my novel will go to print in the new year and I am getting a lot of people giving me sketches of dead (or just cute) bunnies. I would love it if you guys submitted some too!

Originally, I was going to use them on the cover, but I have received too many, so I will be using them on the chapter pages. Everyone that enters will be in the acknowledgments. And I might even throw in a free copy of the book!

Entre via my email a(dot)m(underscore)cullens(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)au 

Hugs
AMC xxx

How to write a book - Idea Generation

After all my crazed ramblings about publishing and such, I thought I should go back to the beginning. How do you actually write a whole book?

Images thanks to Pixabay

It seems daunting and in some ways it is, but mostly all it takes is persistence, a little ink and paper and love/hate. But what are the actual steps you need to take to write a book, you ask? Worry no more, I'll try to shed some light on the subject! I will not put these in any particular order because, realistically, you need to find what works for you.

Today I am going to talk about coming up with ideas. "Where do you come up with all these ideas, Adelise?" I am actually asked this all the time. And I am sorry to say that they just pop in there! Don't get me wrong, I have used tools before, but nothing beats my imagination.

A huge part of "writing" includes sitting and just thinking. Quite often my husband will see me sitting there staring out a window and he will ask what I am doing. "Writing," I always respond, even if there is not a pen in sight.

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” 

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Daydreaming

Do you ever just sit there and daydream? What do you day dream about? Write that! Yes, that! If you enjoy something so much that you sit there in a daze, ignoring life over it, then you would probably buy a book about it. And others probably would too. 

If you are still stuck or you are just not a daydreamy type of person, try some music (movie score are really good) - something without lyrics so you don't get tempted to sing along. I find that music can really help get those creative juice flowing.

Stationery

Sometimes, if I am in a bit of a writing slump, getting some nice stationery can really help. I love writing long hand and there is not much that gets me more excited than a blank notebook. Go out and treat yourself. By a new notebook, some nice pens and/or pencils and just start writing words down. They don't have to end up in the final draft. There are some really good online stores for stationery too. Typo is probably my favourite!

Meditation

I know that may seem a little hippie of me, but I find meditation to be a great catalyst for idea generation and a nice way to snuff out doubt. If you haven't tried any meditation before I would suggest guided meditation. Do it while no one is around. Just give it a go, it won't hurt!

Writing prompts

There are SO many websites and Facebook pages and Tumblr feeds and Instagram accounts out there for writing prompts. Like a few of them and check them out. Find a prompt that sparks something (or one that doesn't) and have at it. There are also writer's wheels, but I personally don't want to get into them because I do not understand how they work! #shame

Reading

Yes. Reading. Reading other peoples work is often great for coming up with your own ideas. Plus, if you don't know what is out there, what is being written and how it is being done, how can you expect

to be able to come up with your own masterpiece? Writing without reading is like a painting not seeing colour. You must read. Now, I am a very slow reader. I manage to read maybe twelve books a year, but at least something is still going in, something is still being fed into my imagination.

Questions

Ask questions about everything. Do like Stephen King Do. (lol sorry I had to write that. Go watch Zefrank on YouTube. So many laughs.)

Anyway ... Yes, ask questions. "What if" questions, like: What if I had a pet helper monkey and one day I came home and he was baking a cake and chatting on the phone to my mother using my voice? (don't ask yourself that question. There is no story there... or is there?) Or What if I woke up one morning and realised my consciousness had bee swapped with my dog's? These sorts of question can lead to a story.

There are so many ways to come up with ideas, but when it boils down to it, you have to find a way that works for you. If you get totally stuck you can always just ask your friends what to write. or you can always take this great advice: 

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison

Hugs

AMC xxx

To edit or to not edit ...

This is the week I am finally sending my manuscript off to the editors. 

For any author (noob or expert) I think this is a daunting task. This will most probably be on of the first times a professional would have read your baby. This is not like giving your book to your mum to read ... My nerves are shot.

So, I am going to answer a few questions to shed a little more light on the dark underground of the editing world. Well, there is really no "dark underground" most of the editors I have spoken to have been super nice people. Once again, they are just people.

When I spoke to editor recently about how nervous I was/am she said something really sweet that I want to share with the void. "Think of me as an old friend who has your best interest at heart. My intentions are good: to support you while you bring your MS up to the best level it can be ..." And that is exactly what you want to find.

Can't I just edit myself?

By all means, please do! Multiple times. I have rewritten my manuscript at least fourteen times, not to mention all the additions, subtractions, character changes, etc. that have been done. But this doesn't mean that your MS is "publish ready."

All manuscripts MUST be edited by a professional. If you can't afford the prices (which can be expensive) try to work something out with your editor. I have worked out a kind of payment plan with mine, something that works well for both of us. 

What about editing software?

No. Just ... no. Computers are good, but nothing will ever replace or replicate the flow human writing. 

When should I have an editor look at my work?

As soon as you haven't fiddled with it in a few months and you are starting to think about self-publishing it. 

If you are going to go for traditional publishing, DO NOT get your MS edited. You can get it assessed or get a mentor, but do not have it edited. Agents and publishers like it a little bit raw, because they have their own editors there waiting to have at your MS. 

If you are self-publishing, this will be one of the last things you do. Think of this moment as "time." Time to get your cover art done. Time to organize your marketing campaign. Time to get all your social media up and out there. Time to work on your website. (Yes! You MUST have a website!)

In this time, I am working on my cover and organising myself. I am working out a better schedule to optimise and balance my writing vs my other authorly duties.

Which type of editing should I use?   

There are a few different types of editing, but mostly they boil down to two main types: Copy Editing/Proofreading and Structural/Developmental Editing.

Copy Editing and Proofreading is the bare bones of editing. It generally includes fixing spelling errors, punctuation, grammar, style, omissions, repetitions, repetitions, typographical errors. Sometimes a CE or PR will include one revision, but not always.

Structural/Developmental Editing is the meaty edit. This is where the editor evaluates the novel as a whole. They look for plot holes and problems in the structure and organisation. They pull you up on logical/illogical consistencies. They may also do their own reconstructing. 

This is the one that we fear. The one where (we have all heard the author horror stories) they tear your MS apart. But if you have a look in most successful author's acknowledgements, you will often see a thank you to the editor. A good author knows that their work needs work. We are too close to it. It is our baby and we always look at our children with rose coloured glasses on. 

But it is the one a MS must have before being published. 

Who or which editor should I use?

My main suggestion for this on is to shop around. Send out emails and see who you seem to have a little rapport with. You need to feel comfortable with your editor as you may be working with them for a long time. 

It is also a good idea to go with someone that has been recommended to you. That way you know that they are good at their good before you spend all the money.


I hope I have helped. 

Hugs
AMC xxx

Back into the Fae - a conversation with Holly Black the Faerie Queen

On the drive to Hachette Publishing in Sydney, I was skittish to say the least.

We read books and admire the authors that write them, so strongly, so fiercely, that in our heads the magic of celebrity takes over and makes them out to be otherworldly beings. But as one of my good friends said to me while I was mid-panic attack that morning, “Holly Black has two hands and two feet. She is a person like you and me.”

Although, when Holly walked into the room I was beginning to doubt my friend. With her turquoise pixie-cut hair and plum stained lips, Mrs Black looked as if she could have stepped right out of one of her books. A woman made of ink and pages and magic.

Straight away Holly asked, “Are you okay?”

Whoops. My anxiety was showing. Better tuck that back in Adelise.

“I’m just nervous,” I replied.

She laughed a little and smiled a warm generous smile. “You can’t be nervous!” she said. “… Don’t be nervous.”

We were taken back to a far room in the depths of Hachette’s office space where it was dark bar the lights of the traffic crawling across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, shimmering red and white like strung up Christmas lights. It was a beautiful view and the perfect place to sit with someone that had never been to Australia before.

I got straight to it and asked the all-important question that every Aussie fan is wondering. “Have you tried Vegemite or Tim Tams yet?”

She said no but assured me that she had been given a big box of Tim Tams to try.

Ashleigh from Hachette walked in and turned on the lights and handed Holly a coffee. I rather sheepishly passed Holly a small package with the famous Aussie Choky Bickies inside. “Oh! This is great,” said Holly, to my delight. “You can teach me to do the thing,” referring of course to the Tim Tam Slam.

Holly’s latest book, The Darkest Part of the Forest is, in short, about a horned boy in an unbreakable crystal coffin and the celebrity that entails in our modern world. About how we put famous people up on these pedestals and how easy it is to forget that you don’t really know who they are because we only see them through glass. But when the glass is no longer there we can see them for who they really are. Human.

Or in the case of the horned boy in The Darkest Part of the Forest. Dangerous.

How long did it take you to write The Darkest Part of the Forest

and can you explain a little bit about your process?

It took me about a year and a half. It was a very difficult book for me to write. There were a couple of different structural puzzles in it. I spent a lot of that year and a half really panicked and writing and ripping out what I wrote.

I try to write about a thousand words a day. My goal for next year is to try and figure out how to get that to two thousand words a day. I feel like I could be faster.

I’m a very nervous and uncomfortable first drafter and I’m a very quick editor. I really love “big” editing stuff, like ripping out a chapter and redoing it. I love making big changes. That is the times where I feel confident, where I enjoy doing it and I’m really fast. But just getting that first draft is like a plotting slog because I have this great idea for a book in my head and as I am writing it I can just feel the fact that I am not getting it to where it needs to be.  

I was swimming in this pond near my house and it was really cold and I know that if you go in and you stay there, your body adjusts and you can swim. And some of my friends were getting in and then they would get cold and they would get out. But then they would want to get in again, then they would get cold and get out again. And I looked at them and thought, “that’s how I write! That’s my first drafting process.” I start drafting. I find it painful. I stop. I do something else. I come back and try it again. What I need to do is figure out how to be the person to live in the discomfort long enough to be able to be okay with it... 

What was the thing that sparked your love of the Fae?
Brian Froud and Alan Lee’s book Faeries. My mum is a painter and she

had it in the house when I was nine or ten. And it is obviously not a kid’s book and it is kind of terrifying. I remember just paging again and again and again through the illustrations and reading all the little bits of weird folklore and strange facts. That is the thing that set me on the path of reading more folklore and seeking out books with faeries in them. 

Do you ever miss your characters or think about them? Particularly when writing standalone novel.
Absolutely. There is a lot of great things about writing standalones. You can plot out the whole thing right there. You get to put everything in, you don’t have to save anything for the way back cause there is no way back. This is it! But the downside is that, I really feel like by the end of a first book in a series that is when your characters cement. And then over the course of editing a standalone you get to know those characters and then you’re like “Great to meet you. Goodbye!” and that is really hard. 
One of the reasons why I just sold a series is because I was actually starting to feel that I just didn’t want to meet any new people! I want to meet some people that can hang around for a while and that can be here for more than a single book. 
There are definitely people [characters] that I would like to go back and find out what they are doing and there are others that I feel like “Okay, you guys are fine.” One of the interesting things about going back is how easy it is, in a way that writing something new isn’t easy, because you just remember what it is like to write those people and you know who they are and what their stuff is and you just don’t know that going into a first book. One of the things that messed me up with The Darkest Part of the Forest was that I felt that Hazel had a secret but I didn’t know what it was.

What is your favourite part of writing, besides editing?
It is fun to make something up right? Like you do when you’re a kid and you’re playing with dolls and you’re making up a story. You get to tell the story that you wish that someone had written, something that you want to read. You get to make up the story that is customised for your very specific tastes.

Can you give me a bit of a rundown on your process?
Sure, but it is stupid and terrible! Anyone reading this please don’t do what I do!
I often have a couple of things I want to do. Maybe I have a character or a premise. With The Darkest Part of the Forest I knew that I wanted to tell a story of a town called Fairfold in which they believed in faeries and that there were faeries around there and there was this sleeping prince in a glass coffin. They were a tourist stop. Kids would go out and party by the coffin. That is what I knew about the town. And I knew that I wanted to tell the story of a brother and sister and I wanted them to be in love with this sleeping prince.
Then I write a little bit to figure out more and to let the characters breathe and to see how they would behave and to see if I liked the way that they behaved. Then I start to try and plan it out and then I’ll write a little bit more. I’ll try to talk it out with friends, ask them if this sounds good and what they think should happen. Then I will go off and write a chapter and then go back and edit it extensively and then write another chapter. Then I will go back and edit the chapter before, then I’ll write a third chapter and then go back again to the first chapter to edit … it is such a terrible process, but it is often what I will do. And by the time I am done, I’ll have incredibly polished early chapters that descend into complete incomprehensibility.

How do you go tackling family life and professional writing and keeping those two worlds balanced?
I have a two year old, so it’s new and I’m still trying to figure out how to do it. I think that one of the great advantages that I have as a writer that does this for a living is that I get to be home a lot. I get to make my own schedule, so we can go and do something, or I can get up with him in the middle of the night and I get to do all that stuff.
The disadvantages are that I travel. 
My son is adopted and obviously we knew that we were going to adopt him (there is some paper work involved!) but when we found out that we were going to have him, we had a call on a Tuesday and we had a baby by Friday. So, it was a lot of “oh my god, how am I gonna do this!” My husband stays home with him, so it was fine, but I was travelling a lot. And that is hard! It is hard because I miss them so much, it is hard to be away, but that is a problem that every parent has. 
I think the problem is working out when it works for you to write; when does it work for you to be home? A lot of the time I write at night … like, really late at night. So, if my son has any problems or if he needs anything in the middle of the night then I’m the one who is awake so I can go upstairs and sort him out, but I’m not sure if that is a sustainable system. It definitely makes you become more focused when you’re working. I can’t mess around on the internet as much.
I didn’t know what to expect when having a family but it is truly so much fun! And it is good for getting me out of my own head. There us so much about writing that forces you down into the deep recesses of your own feelings and your own desires and your own fears and getting yourself out of your own mind to focus on another person is so good. 

As a female writer and especially one that doesn’t hide behind a pseudonym have you ever felt discriminated against?
There are ways that we [women] are seen differently in the industry that are systemic. I don’t think that I personally have felt discriminated against, but mostly the way I have felt is the systemic sense that the work that I do is probably romance, or is not necessarily for boys or men, or is not necessarily serious in the way that it would be taken seriously if I were a man. And that is something that is very difficult to change because it is such a pervasive thing. Then there is writing for kids, so when I go into writing adult science fiction and fantasy I know people are going to take me less seriously yet again.
You can see the ways in which your work isn’t read the same.

I read online that you have a secret library! Is this true?
It’s true! It’s not so much a secret library as a hidden door. So when you come down the stairs to my basement there is a bookshelf and if you push the bookshelf you go into the library.

Have you thought any further into making a sequel to The Coldest Girl in Coldtown?
I have not only thought about it, I have actually outlined it. However, I think my publisher right not would like me to do these faerie books first. I was going to try to stick the Coldtown sequel in the middle of them, but they thought that seemed weird. So, two faerie books, Coldtown sequel and then third faerie book.

And then fit the Magisterium series in there somewhere too?
Oh yeah! We are actually finishing up the third book this week.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read everything. Read in a lot of different genres. Read broadly. Read deeply. Write a lot. Revise a lot. 
It takes a long time to find your voice. So it is going to mean writing and writing and writing. And I think the thing that could help a lot of people, it may not help everyone but I know it helped me, is to find a critique partner. Someone who likes the same kind of writing as you. And someone who likes your writing and whose writing you like and keep each other honest. Keep each other on deadline. 
My first critique partner was Steve Berman and I don’t think I would’ve finished Tithe if it wasn’t for him. He made me … (Laughing) format it properly. He would say, “you said you were going to have the chapter finished this weekend. Where is it?” And not only that but being a reader of his work taught me to be better by seeing and learning to be a better critiquer. When I was a better critiquer of his work I was a better critiquer of my own. 
I think having that is motivating because it is easy to get pulled back into your regular life. Before you have a deadline that is enforceable by contract it is easy to just think “I’ll fit this in when I can.” Having a critique partner creates a feeling of obligation to another person of getting the work done. That person can tell you what’s good and what’s not.

Do you have any hobbies other than writing?
I like to do a little crafting. When the last few books came out I made some things to send out with the ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies). For some bloggers and reviewers I made a vampire hunting kit with little stakes that we hand carved and a little mirror to go out with Coldtown. And we made walnuts that we cut open and left a message inside them for The Darkest Part of the Forest. I like making little weird things. I’m not great necessarily, but I really enjoy it. 

What’s your favourite word?
Capricious.

What’s your least favourite word?
… Pus.

What sort of books turn you on?
I love when characters make a bad choice. I love a bad choice. I have a thing I call the “Ecstatic Fall.” It’s the moment where the character deliberately does the terrible thing. They just know it’s going to go badly, but they don’t care anymore. It is like a *#@! Me. *#@! You. *#@! Everything moment.

If your world, let’s say Fairfold, existed and you woke up there tomorrow morning, what would you do?
Go to the café. I’d go take a selfie! I’d buy some over price merchandise.

If you would like to hear the interview please comment below or contact me via social media and I will post it. 

Hugs

AMC xxx

Holly Black and competitions

Oh my goodness!

So I won a competition to interview Holly Black. So excited. Stay tuned for the post on Monday about meeting her.

I get to go into Sydney, and go to the special Bloggers event and I get one-on-one time with Holly.

Now, I have also entered a comp for my manuscript.

I think entering comps are a good thing. You can't loose anything by entering them. Just make sure you read the fine print really well.

This gonna be a quick post because I need to prepare what I am gonna ask Holly!
If anyone in the void has something you would like me to ask her, feel free to leave it in the comments bellow.

Hugs
AMC xxx

Literary Agents

Hello humans!

I want to talk a little today about literary agents. 

If you don't already know what a lit agent is they are the little magical people that know publishers that can get your book published for you. They organize the best deal for you. They do all the leg work between you and the publisher.

If you are going to go traditional publishing route you really need one. And that can be hard. Lit agents get hundreds of submissions every day and you have to stand out from the slop pile (in a good way)

What is the best way to do this?

Your work. You have to have an awesome manuscript. It has to be neat and in their guidelines and as polished as humanly possible. DO NOT send out a first draft. 

But who am I to tell you? Do I have an agent? No. But I can talk about my experiences with them.

Many years ago (pre-50 shades of grey) I wrote a series that was set in a dominatrix parlor. I must stress, it was not erotica ... It had kinky sex in it but not in the "she lovingly cupped Reginald's quivering member" sort of way. It had stuff that was confronting. It was a book about the diversity of human sexuality. It was not like 50 shades... 

I was super proud of these books. I submitted the first to a shit tone of agents. Most of them came back saying "sorry" "not for us" "Good luck in your writing career" that sort of impersonal bullshit.

One agent (no names named) liked it. She asked to read the whole thing. THIS is what you want. You want that email back asking to read the whole MS. 

She read it and got back to me after the longest 8 weeks of my life saying "I liked it, but sorry, kinky doesn't sell"

Three months later ... BOOM! 50 shades came out and went fucking nuts. Kinky doesn't sell my fucking arse!

My point is that Agents are just humans. They may be the magical people that can get your book published, but they are just people, so treat them that way and it should make the process a little easier.

With the novel I have recently finished (Dead Bunnies Make All Eight of Me Cry) I have also submitted that to numerous agents. The first one I sent it to asked to read the whole thing. He actually CALLED me. I was beyond over the moon. 

Then he wanted me to get a manuscript assessment done. I did it. He also wanted me to get a manuscript mentor. Now at this point I was crushed. Because it seemed to me like he didn't actually want my story, he wanted me to spend a lot of money on these services. He had suggested places to get these things done at, that after a bit of looking into, I found that he owned... 

I know I am waffling on a bit ... I am sorry. I just want you to beware of who you send your work to. As I said before, agents are only human, and there are a lot of humans out there that are straight up douche bags. They do fucked up things for money.

Maybe this agent wasn't. Maybe he was trying to be helpful. But it certainly seemed suspect. 

Dear wannabe writers of the void. When submitting your work to agents and publishers, keep your heart sealed tight in a box or in a jar or somewhere it won't get hurt. Being rejected sucks, but don't let it deter you. It is business. And only business. 

If you want to find yourself an agent I highly suggest going to The Publishers Marketplace It is great. It has lots of agents and their profiles. Follow the guidelines that are specific to each agent. I know that some places say to send out multiple submissions, but I personally think this is rude. I submit to one agent at a time. 

If you like the idea of traditional publishing, but you are leaning towards self-pub then there is no reason why you can't start the self-pub process while you are still submitting to agents.

hugs
AMC xxx

Review of Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

(So, before I begin the review I just want to say that I recently got a job reviewing books. I will be placing the views on here too. If you have a book you would like me to review, feel free to contact me.)

Title: Magonia

Goodreads rating: 3.78 stars (3,707 reviews)

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Author: Maria Dahvana Headley

Pages: 320

Publisher: Harper Collins

Formats: Paper back, eBook/Kindle, Audiobook

Aza Ray seems to be your normal teenaged girl. Your normal dying teenage girl, that is. I know what you’re thinking. This is not a “The Fault in Our Stars” re-do. The similarities end with teenage girl with lung condition.

The novel starts off normal enough, but we quickly get the sense that something isn’t all that normal in Aza’s life. Despite the rare, debilitating disease she is inflicted with, there are other oddities that push themselves into Aza’s existence. Like the feather in her lung, the hallucinated ships in the sky or the birds that seem to stalk Aza’s every move, you get a sense that there is something about to happen, a mystery is about to reveal itself. So you turn the page …

“I'm dark matter. The universe inside of me is full of something, and science can't even shine a light on it. I feel like I'm mostly made of mysteries.” 
― Maria Dahvana Headley, Magonia

Although Aza is the main character there are also chapters from the point of view of her best friend, Jason. I enjoyed these chapters almost more than Aza’s. He is a neurotic over-thinker and the only person that believes Aza when she says that she sees ships in the sky.

When things take a turn for the worse and Aza is rushed off in an ambulance to the hospital, the mysteries begin to unravel, slowly revealing themselves and that is where the real fun (and heartache) begin.

Magonia is a beautifully woven tale, full of all the things you want from a Young Adult novel. Maria Dahvana Headley paints the world of Magonia in a way that when you look back on the book, you no longer see inked words on a page, but the images she illustrated in your mind.