M is for manuscripts.

NaNo update: OMG! Something awesome happened today. All of my ms usually end up being about 70k (except for the first one) and I was expecting the first draft of SRH to be the same but I'm already in the build-up to the climax and I'm a touch under 40k. Perhaps this one will be closer to 50k then I thought. Of course, then I'll start editing and adding more scenes so I shouldn't speak too soon.

Today's word count: 2400.

Today's topic is lame but I couldn't think of anything else and I have to blog early because we're heading down the coast this afternoon. I know you're all probably sick of my manuscripts but it hit 34 degrees (like, 95 F) at 11am. 11am!!! Can someone please let the weather know that it's still meant to be Spring. Anyway, I'm blaming the heat for not coming up with a better topic.

See, even the koalas think it's too hot. If you want to see more photos of hot koalas visit this blog. Me thinks this will be the highlight of my post.

So when is it time to let a manuscript have a respectful retirement? I've touched on this topic before but I got thinking about it again yesterday after I received my deals email from Publishers Marketplace. In it were the following deals:

CHILDREN'S: YOUNG ADULT

Lia Habel's DEARLY, DEPARTED, a maximalist, post-apocalyptic, neo-Victorian steampunk zombie novel in which a girl, whose blood is impervious to the "Z-virus," searches for her missing dad, is kidnapped by (good) zombies, falls improbably in love with a rather sweet zombie boy, and sets out to save the world from a zombie plague beyond imagining, to Chris Schleup at Ballantine, in a significant deal, in a two-book deal, by Chris Lotts at Ralph M. Vicinanza.

FICTION: PARANORMAL

Joan Frances Turner's DUST, formerly known as Dead of Night, about an undead girl whose existence is irrevocably altered as she faces a plague that is wiping out both humans and zombies alike and must deal with the harrowing return of the living family that she had given up hope of ever seeing again, to Michelle Vega at Ace, in a good deal, by Michelle Brower in her last deal at Wendy Sherman Associates before joining Folio Literary Management (WE).Foreign: Jenny Meyer Literary Agency.

CHILDREN'S: YOUNG ADULT

Kelly Gay writing as Kelly Keaton's DARKNESS BECOMES HER, (GODS & MONSTERS, Book 1), in which a hardened teen on the run searches for the truth about her monstrous heritage with a group of misfit kids in a post-apocalyptic New Orleans, a city state now run by the creatures of the night, to Emilia Rhodes at Simon Pulse, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Miriam Kriss at the Irene Goodman Agency (World).

Apparently post-apocalyptic books and zombies are HOT at the moment. This led me to ponder another of my manuscripts, The Freaks, which has no zombies but is post-apocalyptic. As I've said previously, I think the story is good but it would need a total re-write. So I was thinking maybe I should pull it out of its virtual drawer. If that's what's hot...

Thankfully I managed to stop myself. Maybe one day I'll re-work it but I don't have the time at the present. This trend will pass like all the others (except vampires perhaps) but what can you do. There is only so much time and all of mine is tied up in Charms and SRH.

Other then the time factor, something else made me pause. Of late I've found myself giving a lot of thought to what sort of 'brand' I'd like to have if I ever make it to the ranks of the published. Or even beyond that, what sort of debut novel do I want to have. My writing has evolved so much since I finished The Freaks, both in quality and style. The more I think about it, the more I'd like my brand to be a long the lines of Charms and SRH. Quirky, funny (I hope) stories with paranormal twists. I wouldn't want to publish The Freaks and then be expected to follow along a similar vein. I'm not sure I could.

This is all theoretical of course, because I'm not likely to have to worry about what sort of debut novel I'll have for some time, if at all. It's fun to think about it all the same.

Maybe paranormal rejects will be the next huge craze and maybe we'll see a post on Publishers Marketplace that reads:

YA PARANORMAL.

Debut by Jade Timms, SURVIVING REJECT HIGH, in which a failed teen telepath is kicked out of the prestigious Wingham Academy and with no other choice, enrols in Beetle Park for Special Paranormal Education, better known as Reject High, in a major three-book deal, at auction to Jane McAwesome at Awesome Publishing by John McAgent of Rockin' Agents & Co.

Wow, that was fun.

BTW, it is now 38 degrees (100 F). Save me. Please.

L is for Lola.

NaNo update: I only got an hour of writing in today. It was sooo hot and I had to do some packing. Plus my puppies were possessed by some naughty demonic spirit! Seriously, it's 6:30 pm and it's still 35 degrees (95 F)! It's going to be a looooong summer.

Today's word count: 800. Pitiful. *hangs head in shame*

First up, I just want to thank everyone for coming to my party--I had an awesome time and I hope you did too. It's probably for the best that you all left when you did because things got messy. Lola and Archer had a go at each other and then Archer stormed off. Lola had the shits and picked a fight with Stella. Caleum and Zac had words and Harri was all offended that Archer blew off her advances. Never again.

Anyway, Lola wrote me a letter today and she wanted me to put it up on my blog to illustrate the horrendous way in which she is treated. Here it is:

Dear Jade,

I want to start by saying how hurt I am that you favour all of your other MC's over me. I know you did a post awhile back where you let all your voices out for a run. Let's not even get into how much air-time Stella gets on your blog--favouritism is not cool.

I seriously don't know what I've done to deserve this treatment. I mean, aren't you loving SRH? Isn't the story flowing from your finger-tips? You should be kissing the ground I walk on. I should get a weekly segment on your blog.

And what's going on with the SRH? I thought I was going to be all empowered and strong? Instead I'm weak and vain and as shallow as a dinner plate. What's with that? Everyone is hiding things from me. Ruby and Bea are all secretive and what not and they won't let me in, no matter how much I show them that I can be trusted.

Archer doesn't trust me either. I mean, what's going on with him? Why was he kicked out of Archangel Academy?

Archer. Where to start. Okay, so he's hot but shouldn't he be into me? He is the male lead and I'm the female lead. It should be all Romeo and Juliet and it's not. He's more hot and cold then a hot fudge sundae. Seriously, Jade, get it together.

Oh, and another thing, I get that you had to make me do stupid things for the sake of the story but what was with the dance? And the beach party? Not only did you let me make a fool of myself but you made me do it in front of Archer. Both times. Harsh.

So, I'm thinking maybe Archer should be the MC, he's in just about every scene anyway. You can probably cut me all together and send me home to my parents. Oh, that's right, my parents are a-holes and they don't want me either.

If you keep this up, I'm going AWOL on you. Seriously.

Lola


Dear Lola,

I understand your frustration but it's not entirely my fault. I let you develop as you saw fit and this is the character that you have become. I do not think it's fair to blame me for the choices that you've made or are yet to make. You need to own that yourself.

As for Archer, well lets say that one day you'll understand and then you'll realise why I love him so. I know he irritates you more then any other paranormal on the planet but you need to cut him some slack--you have him pegged all wrong. Be careful, or you may lose the best thing that may happen to your future.

As for your roomies, I know they're keeping secrets but then so are you. No-one likes a hypocrite.

I also don't think you should be making empty threats about leaving because we both know you won't. Although, if you do want to leave, Harri made it quite clear yesterday that she'd happily leave her supporting role in Charms for the spotlight in SRH. She's into Archer and she thinks being a para would be way cooler then a human. I'm just saying.

Cheers,

J

I'll leave you with some photos of the real birthday and yes, I am the most mature 25 year old I know.

...oh, and the puppies because they are cute...and evil.

...don't stare in their eyes...oooohhhh.

Let's get the party started.

NaNo update: managed to get in a few hours this morning, so feeling much better today now that I've hit the 35k mark. Things are also getting interesting at Reject High. They've all gone to Sydney for the day, which is always fun. Plus I've realised that there is a bit of mystery going on (at least I hope it's a mystery) that Lola is trying to find the truth about. It involves Archer and Archangel Academy. *cue the Dr Who theme song*
Today's word count: 2900.

So it's my birthday today and it's been glorious. I'm home alone with the puppies, knocked out some words and finished Paper Towns by John Green. Refused to do housework or edit. Husband came home on his lunch break to give me a pink cupcake. *cue the ohhs and ahhs*
He also brought my cake home but I'm under strict orders not to peek. He's taking me out for dinner tonight too.

This is what he got me....





...nah, he already knew I had them so he bought me an espresso machine! Real coffee! My life as a hermit is complete! Weee!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my party. It's going to be mad fun. So, some of my characters are coming, so feel free to bring yours if you so like. I just realised that I wrote 'so' twice in the one sentence. I could edit it out but where's the fun in that?
Ruby (one of Lola's room-mates) has specifically asked me to ask all of you that if any of you have a hot, interesting, smart, funny and adventurous boy-character that you'd like to bring along, she'd be stoked.

I made some cool Aussie treats for you--make sure you have some vegemite crackers....





...mmm, salty goodness.

Then you need to wash it down with a summer cocktail. *please note, party is occurring inland but feel free to imagine yourself somewhere tropical.*

I totally couldn't decide what cake to get so I went ahead and organised two. You only turn 25 once.

BTW, that's blue jelly, not jell-o. You're at an Aussie party, remember.

This is almost too awesome to eat. Almost.

Are you having fun yet?

Here, have another cocktail. The green ones are good. They're called Ninja Bombs. They are deadly. Have one, I dare you.

Oops, you've drunk too much. Here have some yummy party food.

These are my creepy minion cakes...ah, I mean, beloved groupies. Very beloved groupies.

A party is not complete without a cupcake tower. Or a pinata. Or a jumping castle. Or bucket punch. You'll have to imagine the last three.
Has everyone had some food? Enough to drink? *mutters under breath, "I think some people have had too much to drink!"*

Time for some introductions. I think most of you have met Archer from Surviving Reject High. If not, beloved groupies, this is Archer. Archer, beloved groupies.

Archer: Can I leave yet?

Moving right along. I'd like you all to meet the MC of SRH...I mean, the star. Lola is the star. Anyway, meet Lola.

Lola: So, this is what your blog looks like. Not that I'd know. I mean, it's not like you've let all the other voices out for a run here--all except me. What was that about everyone having met Archer before. I think I'm going to stick around and read some old posts.

Umm...is that someone waving at you Lola? There, over by the half-eaten pirate cake. *shoves Lola towards buffet table and locks the door to the old posts.*

Anyway, let's meet some other people from Reject High. This is one of Lola's room-mates, Bea.

Bea: Hey! It's so nice to get out of the word doc. So dull in there. Oooh, cocktails. *snatches drink tray away*

This is Lola's other room-mate, Ruby.

Ruby: Where are all the hot characters you promised? Dude, I even changed my hair for this thing even thought the pink streaks were, like, hot. Plus, there isn't any vegan-friendly food. That's discrimination, Jade. I mean, really?

Okay. This is another of Lola's friends, Barden.

Barden: Lola and I aren't friends.

Oh--well you kind of are.

Barden: No we're not. I'm friends with Rubes and Bea but not her.

Can't you be civil just for tonight?

Barden: Whatever. *looks around* So this is your blog. Where is it located--at the corner of bland and generic? What you need is a designer wallpaper and maybe a splash of red. Definitely some custom-made stuff.

Err, thanks. I think.

Since I'm busy editing Charms, I thought I'd invite them along too in the hope that a bit of fun might make them a bit more cooperative.

Beloved groupies, this is Zac and Stella. Say hi guys.

Zac: This party is lame. You so should have let me and the boys from Wet Slide Moan play.

I'm not sure my groupies are into teen punk/angst.

Zac: We're not angsty. Dude, how old are you?

Stella, do you have something to say.

Stella: Only that it's not my fault that Charms sucks nor that it's taking you so long to edit it.

*clears throat awkwardly* This Caleum, also from Charms.

Caleum: Zac is such a whiner.

Zac: Dude, you suck.

Caleum: Your wit astounds as usual.

Okay boys, not in front of company. And finally, the last character of the day, Stella's best friend Harri.

Harri: Where'd that Archer guy go....

Here, have one more drink before you go. One more. And maybe stay for another hour? The bucket punch is coming out shortly and you don't want to miss that. It is truly epic. Or awful. I can't recall.

Thanks for dropping by!

K is for kangaroo, koala and kookaburra.

NaNo update: nothing to report today...cue the excuses. Work, puppy pre-school, housework so I don't have to do any on my birthday. Hopefully I'll make a dent in the next couple of days.


Okay, so your probably wondering wtf? Aussie animals? I am going to link this to writing so stay with me. Is all about the setting.


As many of you guys know, when I first started blindly stumbling through my first few ms, they were mainly high fantasy. Then I stumbled into dystopian type settings. Then I wanted to do something contemporary but where could I set it? I couldn't write about America or Europe with any conviction and I couldn't set it in Australia, could I?



I'm not sure why I held out for writing a story set in contemporary Australia. Perhaps it was that I wasn't reading anything in YA Paranormal that was set outside of the US/UK so I assumed it wasn't done. Or maybe I thought that agents/editors/readers wouldn't be interested in a book set in Oz. Would they?

The more I thought about it, the more I wasn't sure. One of the main reasons I loved books set in the US were because of how fascinating I find American culture. Take high school for example, I'm so into all the cheerleaders and proms and other stuff we don't have. This made me think that maybe people who live in other countries would find Australia interesting. Perhaps even exotic or intriguing. Feeling a little more confident, I started to write Charms.

The story is set in contemporary Canberra, which I think is a dull and unexciting town--the last place that a paranormal story could be set. The more I worked with it, the more I liked that aspect. It was different.

When I finished Charms, I set my next story, Surviving Reject High, in contemporary Australia too. By that stage I felt like I had a better grasp on the sort of books I wanted to write and they were all set in the land down under.

This confidence didn't come from reading on some blog that YA Paranormal set in Oz was so hot right now. Instead it came from something much more surprising: I no longer cared.

Maybe no agent (Aus or US) will ever be interested in my stories. Maybe American publishers aren't buying Paranormal stories outside of America. I simply don't care. I've decided that I'll write what I want and the rest of the world be damned.

At the end of the day, I can't write an urban fantasy about guardian angels set in NYC no matter how hot the trend is. I've never been there and I'm 100% sure you couldn't write a convincing story without at least spending some time there. What's more, I don't want to.

I like being an Aussie and I love Australia. We have peculiar animals and the whole country stops for a horse-race in November. We have BBQs for Christmas and probably drink more then we should but I wouldn't change it. So I'll keep being a proud Australian and I'll keep writing my silly Aussie tales. Some people might like them, others won't. The main thing is that I do.

* Please note: Koalas are not cute and cuddly. They are crabby and stinky and have sharp claws and diseases. They are best admired from afar. I'm sorry to crush that myth.

Don't forget to drop in for my party tomorrow. It's going to be off the hook!

I've also hit 50 followers, so now I have to come up with promised awesome competition. I thought I'd have more time to ponder the possibilities.

J is for jackets.

NaNo update: the weekend was a total bust. We're currently in a heat-wave plus I had to work. I only got 900 words down. In my defence, I was doing a lot of editing on Charms.
Today's word count: 1600


I was surprised with how hard it was for me to think of a post for J and in the end I went with Wendy's idea. It's kind of win-win because I get to rant about covers--which we all know I love--and you guys get some visual stimulation.

First up are some comparisons.

Wake by Lisa McMann. The one on the right is probably the one most of you are familiar with, whilst I think the one on the left is the UK one but I'm not sure. I'm actually kind of fascinated by the differences in US/UK covers. While the US covers are great, I prefer the other one--it's just a little bit more interesting.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I think these are the paperback/hardback jackets. I like how it's pretty much the same design but different colours. Plus it has trees, so that's awesome in my book.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier. Ah, the controversy. In case you don't know, the middle one is the Aussie cover, the right one is the original US cover and the left is the replacement one.

The original US cover is awesome. I don't normally like real people on the jacket but I make an exception for this one. It's just a shame that the model was white...oops. The new US one is really underwhelming and I'm not a fan at all. I love the Aus one but you have to see it in the flesh (paper?) to do it justice.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. The right one is the US jacket and I think the left one must be the UK version. I don't love either of these jackets but the left was appeals to me more. This book is on my xmas book list. I hear good things...

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. The left is the US and the right is the Aus one. Again, neither of these are amazing, especially considering that it was one of the most anticipated books of the year. I loudly voiced my disapproval of the Aus version when I reviewed this book. In this case I prefer the US one.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I'm not sure which cover goes with which country but I've only seen the left one her in Oz. Obviously (and I have already blog-loved it) the right one rocks all over the other. It is simply tree-licious. I would buy it even if it was called We Do Things.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The left one is the Aussie jacket (at least it's the one we have here) but I don't know about the other one (in hind-sight I should have done more research...oh well). I haven't read it yet (yes, I know) so I'm not sure about the dominoes but I still prefer the right one.

Now we move onto a selection of some covers that I think rock just a little.

L-R: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev; Soulless by Gail Carriger; Wings by Aprilynne Pike; Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

What awesome covers! I'm also getting all of these books for xmas. Yay!

The Daughters of Moab by Kim Westwood. This is a book I own and I adore the cover but I'm not sure if this picture does it justice. Kim is a Canberra writer and this was her debut last year. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Australia. It's really unlike anything I've read before. Vivid and imaginative are two words that pop into my head.

Okay, that's enough covers or I'll be here all night. Since there was also some groupies voting for J being for Johnny Depp, I attached the tasty morsel below for your viewing pleasure.

And this one is for Sara...mmm, Captain Jack.

Now that J is done with, I need some help with K. And L. M also. Who knew alphabet posts would be so hard?? If anyone has any writing related suggestions, I'd be grateful. Make sure you pop in an say hi on Wednesday because it's my 25th birthday and I'm having a huge party...and you are all invited. I've also invited some of my characters and they've promised to make cameos.

Finally, I'm sitting on 49 followers at the present and I'd thought I'd celebrate hitting 50 with an earth-shattering contest. I haven't decided what it's going to be but it will rock. Now I just need one more follower and my life will be complete...

Hope everyone's NaNo is going well and don't forget to leave a comment about any jackets you love if you're that way inclined.

Lots of links.

I know I gave myself the weekend off but I find I must blog. There's probably a support group out there somewhere that could help me with this.

So, I'm feeling all Nathan Bransford like and thought I'd offer you some links.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is one of the best books I've ever read. I discovered it randomly at the start of the year. It wasn't the sort of book I'd normally read but something about the title drew me to it and I'm so glad it did. The book was so hilarious that I kept reading bits of it out to Husband and the ending left me sobbing on the floor.

As much as I love books this good, they also depress me slightly because I know I will never reach those lofty heights with my writing. So, it's some what reassuring to discover that it took Diaz ten-years of torture to write the book that won last year's Pulitzer Prize.

I found this article that Diaz wrote via Libba Bray's blog and if you are, or ever expect to be in a hard place with your writing, you need to read it. It will make you feel so much better. You should also read his book.

I also recently found kidlit.com which is the blog of literary agent Mary Kole of Andrea Brown. You should seriously check it out if you haven't been there yet. The most recent article on ms length was great because Mary talked about learning the important skill of be able to cut chunks from your ms. Hooray, I'm there! You should see me cutting up Charms at the present. I just turned two chapters into one and all up I've cut at least 2k and I'm only a third in. Woo-hoo.

Wendy gave me this link to an interesting blog on book jackets. You know how I love my covers!

I'm stealing this link from Sara. The article was so good that I had to share it too. Seriously read it. You will laugh and then feel so much better about hating your story, I promise.

This post I found interesting. It's about the 5 most common YA genres that literary agents get queries about.

This article is old but still interesting. It's about NYT bestselling author Lisa McMann's journey to being published. I love shit like this.

Okay, that's enough links. Now I must go and melt. Summer is here already.

Survival kit.

Just letting you know that the cool train regularly departs from the Craziness Appreciation Society, so if you'd like to be on it, I'd head there now.
I've just done a post on a Crazy Survival Kit...you know you wanna read about that. Remember, you can still be a member too. No pressure or anything.

Toot-toot! That's the cool-train leaving...