My Gift to You

In case you haven't seen it yet... ENJOY!

This holiday season, enjoy yourself, your family, and most importantly, your food for after the First, we diet! See you next year!

Merry Christmas y ¡Buen Provecho!

El fantástico book two: CAUGHT IN THE PARALLEL by Robin Brande

Oh, you lucky, lucky reader! Due to my need to fill up my word tank, I have another fantastic book to recommend. A sequel to my gushy review (yes, I'm a gusher) from last week's INTO THE PARALLEL. I present to you the equally lovable book two in the Parallelogram series: CAUGHT IN THE PARALLEL by the always wonderful and much anticipated Robin Brande. If you haven't finished book one yet, you may want to skip the following description to avoid spoiling some cliff-hanging surprises.

SPOILER ALERT: From robinbrande.com: In a desperate move to save her parallel self from certain death, high school science genius Audie Masters managed to bend the laws of physics. But now she’s trapped in the wrong universe, with no sign that her scheme to save her alternate self, the famous teenage explorer and adventurer Halli Markham, actually worked.Until she can sort out the physics of what went wrong, Audie has to pretend to be Halli–and fool everyone from Halli’s parents to the guy who’s in love with her. And meanwhile there’s her own life Audie would like to reclaim, including Daniel, the only one who knows the truth about who she really is. Is Halli still alive? If so, where is she? And can Audie ever find her way back to her own universe, her own family–her own life?


ALERT END. Whew! Now you may read on for a spoiler-free review.


When reading a series, you oft times expect book two to be the weakest. Not with Robin Brande at the helm. Book two is every bit as brilliant as the first one! Smarter, more romantic and fantastical, and new, just as authentic teen characters as before.  Ms. Brande displays her world building chops by taking us to another dimension, all while showing how this new world and what is happening in it is all technically possible through real quantum physics. I was so invested in the story and characters from the first book, that I hit the ground running with this one, starting it at 8pm Friday night and finishing by 11am Saturday morning. The story never slows, but propels you further into a new world full of questions and betrayals - you never know who to trust. Since Audie doesn't know what's going on, neither do we, so we get to experience that most wonderful aspect of reading - the joy of discovery. And Ms. Brande serves it up expertly, delivering new discoveries and newer, more perplexing questions, setting us deliciously up for book three. I cannot wait!!


The e-book edition is available now for $4.99 from Smashwords (which supports all e-book and PDF formats), Kindle, and Nook. The paperback edition will be out shortly. You can even visit robinbrande.com for an excerpt. But I say skip it and go right for the whole book - you won't want to stop reading.


Wishing you happy reading this Christmas season, and as always, ¡Buen Provecho!

¡El Libro Más Fantástico! INTO THE PARALLEL by Robin Brande

Every time Robin Brande comes out with a new book, my heart jumps. I love her writing; it's like wrapping yourself in a soft blanket on a chilly night - warm and comforting. So with great pleasure, I introduce you to INTO THE PARALLEL, book one of her new Parallelogram series. And what a great kickoff it is!

From robinbrande.com: High school senior and amateur physicist Audie Masters has discovered what no other physicist has been able to prove: that parallel universes do exist, and there is a way to journey into them. She also discovers something else: a parallel version of herself, living the kind of life Audie never could have imagined for herself. Now Audie is living that life, too, full of adventure, romance, and reality-bending science. It’s all more than she could have hoped for–until something goes wrong.

As usual, Robin Brande's spot-on teen voice rings true and pulls you back to those wonderful, confusing and arduous times. Her characters leap off the page and into your heart. Audie's whip-smart comments and heart-felt honesty left me in tears more than once. And smart only begins to describe not only the main character, but also the writing. The science used here is grounded in real quantum physics and related in a way even I could understand. I felt my IQ rise from page one: after reading, I understood more of the jokes on the Big Bang theory. The romance is clever, never condescending, and had me falling in love right along with Audie. The only negative - having to wait for the next book to satisfy this cliffhanger of an ending. And I mean that in the best way possible. I simply cannot sing enough praises for this wonderfully imaginative, smart, and exciting YA novel. This will make a perfect gift for that beautiful, smart girl in your life. Even better - for you!

INTO THE PARALLEL is available as an e-book for $4.99 from Smashwords (supports Kindle, ePub, and other formats), Kindle, and Nook, and as a paperback for $13.98.

More than ever, happy reading and ¡Buen Provecho!

Research and Replenish

NaNoWriMo has left me a wordless hunchback with carpel tunnel syndrome. Since I have depleted both my fortitude and willingness to summon words this week (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!), let me direct you back to Miss Snark's Bakers Dozen Auction. Bidding has closed, but you can still get an eye-full of what agents are looking for; an easy way to research which agents will be a good fit for your work. Chances are your genre is represented, from YA to adult, fantasy/scifi to literary. Go see what grabs an agent's bids and attention.


As for me, I will replenish this week by drinking from my most favoritest word-fountain of all time: Lord of the Rings.


In regards to whether or not I reached my NaNo goal:

Happy writing and ¡Buen Provecho!

Baker's Dozen starts Fri!

While I finish up NaNoWriMo (so close!) here's a little something from Miss Snark's First Victim Baker's Dozen. Make sure you you take a good look at her auction; it's a great way to see what agents are looking for. Your book may be next!

Happy writing and ¡Buen Provecho!


The 60 winning entries for our Baker's Dozen Auction will post THIS FRIDAY! You're in for a treat.

I'll be posting all the itty-bitty details about the auction on Thursday. In the meantime, here are a few important tidbits:

• Critiquing may begin IMMEDIATELY. I will ask you to hold off on critiquing during the actual bidding window next week.
• WINNERS: If you see any formatting issues or want to change anything once you see your post, please email me at facelesswords(at)gmail.com WITH THE TITLE OF YOUR NOVEL IN THE SUBJECT LINE. I will make the changes.
• NON-WINNERS: I will be posting instructions on how to submit your excerpt to one of our 10 guest blogs for public critique. Please remember that this is OPTIONAL; you don't have to participate if you don't want to.

I'm excited! Spread the word to your writing friends and communities; this is going to be wonderful to watch as well as to participate in. The posts are already in the queue and ready to post automatically. I'm finally getting to the point where I can sit back and watch things unfold.

Well, almost. A few more emails and last-minute details. Then the fun will begin!

Another word of thanks for your donations, too. Just a reminder that all donations from this point forward will go to admin. I'm going to be placing the book order for my library this week, so I can no longer accept donations for books.

You can donate at any time during the auction. Again, thank you. I am repeatedly humbled by your generosity.

Okay -- onward! Many sparkles ahead.

Week Four Nano: Oh, What a Lonely Boy

For those of you too young to know the reference, Lonely Boy is a song from 1976 by one of the decade's many one hit wonders, Andrew Gold. Ok, he was a two hit wonder, responsible for the Golden Girl's TV show theme, Thank You For Being A Friend. Kinda fits with what I have to say today.

This week, week four for NaNoWriMo, I hit a word wall. I knew it was coming, but I didn't know how to climb over it. That's when I discovered week three's enemy: solitude. Writing can be a lonely business - just you alone with your thoughts, worlds, and characters.

But a good friend gave me a lift up over that wall. She is the Book Babe, Faith Hochhalter. If you don't know her, you should. Here is a wonderful blog interview with her by the equally wonderful and soon to be published Shannon Messenger. Included is a chance to win a critique from the fabulous Book Babe herself. Go now. Well, maybe wait until the end of this, which is coming quick.

Last Sunday, I complained to Faith that I didn't think I could still get my word goal out for that day. A lazy Sunday afternoon and frenzied writing don't always mix.

All Faith did was tell me I could. 'All'. Like that's a little thing. It's not. It's huge. And it made the biggest difference for me. I hit my goal that day and the days following. I'm at 42K words. Only 8K left to go and a week to do it. I CAN do this.

And so can you.

Faith - Thank for you being a friend. See? I told you it would fit :)


Don't be afraid to seek support. We all need it. It can change everything.


Good writing and, this week especially, ¡Buen Provecho!

Week Three Nano Enemy: Yaaaaawn.

I have met mine enemy and it is boring. My enemy isn't boring; boring is my enemy.


This week, I got so bored with my story! The characters felt stale, the plot stagnant, all the evidence pointing to my failure as a writer. But perusing the NaNoWriMo website, I saw I wasn't alone. Looks like week three has a common enemy. Since I'm writing by the seat of my pants and doing it as fast as I can (re: writing without thinking too much), I decided to shake things up a bit.


First, I shot my main character. Totally didn't see that coming.


Then, I switched two characters' roles. I made the bad one good (sort of) and the good one bad. The good one had been getting on my nerves anyway. He acted a bit too good, more annoying than endearing, if you know what I mean. Now he has purpose.


In switching the roles, I ended up with a hidden, inter-dimensional conspiracy. Now we're cooking!


Recap:
Week one enemy: Inner Critic. Goal met.
Week two enemy: Inner Editor. Goal met.
Week three enemy: Boredom. Goal meeting.


I learned that when boredom hits, do something crazy. When Erin Morgenstern got tired of her NaNo-novel, she sent her characters to the circus. And now we have her stellar debut book, The Night Circus.

Don't be afraid to let your story take you somewhere unexpected. You may just end up on a best-seller list.


Good writing and ¡Buen Provecho!