COVER REVEAL! @LisaGailGreen's "The Binding Stone"

I'm soooo excited to reveal Lisa Gail Green's beautiful book cover! Her debut novel, The Binding Stone, is book one in her Djinn series.

Here's the blurb:

Tricked into slavery by the man she loved, the Djinni Leela has an eternity to regret her choices. 

Awakened in the prison of her adolescent body, she finds a new master in possession of the opal that binds her. But seventeen-year-old Jered is unlike any she's seen. His kindness makes Leela yearn to trust again, to allow herself a glimmer of hope.

Could Jered be strong enough to free her from the curse of the Binding Stone?

Lisa is my writing buddy. I've read this book, and it's amazing! I'm so excited for her. More information will follow about The Binding Stone, but for now, here's the link on Goodreads. Brilliant writer. Brilliant cover!

What's your opinion of the cover? If you're published, was seeing your cover for the first time the most exciting thing in the world? Do tell!

What makes The Hunger Games so awesome?

(my niece is #teampeeta, so this one's for you, Amanda!)

The Hunger Games movie opened at midnight on Thursday night, and eager fans (my niece included) bought tickets early, waited in long lines, and packed crowded theaters to see their favorite story come to life on the big screen. Yes, it's Hunger Games hoopla time!

In honor of the movie release, I thought I'd join the frenzy and discuss one of my favorite books. Keep in mind, I'm not a huge fan of dystopian stories. But my buddy, Lisa Green, encouraged me to read this book, and I'm so glad she did. (BTW, Suzanne Collins is a genius, and if she could bottle that talent and sell it, I'd buy a truck load)

What made this story so awesome? Here are my thoughts:

Amazing Characters

No doubt Katniss, Peeta, and Gale are beloved characters who carry the entire series. Katniss is smart, strong, and rebellious. Peeta is sweet and protective. Gale is loyal. Add a love triangle, and we're hooked.

Sacrifice

Katniss sacrifices herself for her sister. Peeta sacrifices himself for Katniss. Gale helplessly watches the girl he loves and wishes he could sacrifice for her. These acts endear readers to the characters, and we root for them all the way.

Death

The threat of death is constant in the story, and all along we wonder how in the world Katniss and Peeta will escape death "this time." We learn early on that there can only be one victor, and we worry about these characters throughout the entire novel.

Live TV

In a sick twist, the Hunger Games play out for the nation on live television. This adds to the tension, but also affects how the main character plays the games. She knows people are watching, and she uses this to her advantage.

How about you? If you've read the book, what do you think made it so special? Are you Team Peeta or Team Gale? If you've seen the movie, did it live up to the hype? And if you haven't read the book yet, what are you waiting for??

And just for fun, my buddy, Leslie Rose, shared a cool link on Facebook. Click here to see what district you're from, and how you met your demise in the Hunger Games. Enjoy!

"May the odds be ever in your favor"

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Enthusiasm--Bring It!

First, I want to mention that I guest posted about flawed vs. unlikable characters over at Lisa Green's blog. If you haven't checked it out yet, come on over! Warning: Lisa's blog is highly addictive.

And now, on to enthusiasm!

When we're passionate and enthusiastic about our work, our manuscripts can shine. But if we're mired in a swamp full of rejections, revisions, or plotting obstacles, we writers can become discouraged.

So how can we retain or regain enthusiasm for our work? Here are some ideas:

• Stay productive. Even when we're in a slump, if we remain productive and write through it, the good stuff will eventually flow.
• Need a break? Take one. This sometimes contradicts the previous point, but when our creative brains are fried, we might just need a sweaty workout, a good movie, or an unhealthy dose of reality TV. And chocolate.
• Revel in the success of others. Instead of feeling envious (I know, I've felt that way too) we should rejoice in the success of other writers. Heck, if they can do it, so can we!
• Run your own race. A companion to the previous point. If we focus on our own road, our own journey, we're less likely to become discouraged. Eye on the prize, writer friends.
• Consider no-pay/low-pay markets. These markets are hungry for submissions, and are a great opportunity to earn writing credits. Plus, receiving an acceptance from these markets can give writers a much needed boost of confidence. Funds for Writers is a great place to start, and if you write for kids, check out kidmagwriters.com.
• Nurture your talent. When we read craft books, we're planting the seeds for success. Plus, successful authors of these books are quick to offer encouragement. Win/win.
• Write with all your heart. If we try to fit ourselves into something that isn't a good match, we may lose our passion. But if we write what we love, something we'd like to read, our enthusiasm has a better chance of hanging on.
• Daydream. Go ahead. It's one of our perks.
• Remain thankful. Our skills, and the opportunity to improve them, are a gift.

Do you ever lose enthusiasm for your work? If so, how do you get it back? Please share!

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Beauty Queens Extravaganza!

My critique partners and I thoroughly enjoyed Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray, and have joined together to do a Beauty Queens extravaganza! Be sure to stop by Lisa Green's and Leslie Rose's blogs for fun facts about them, and for another chance to win a signed copy of this awesome book.

First, the writing lessons I learned from Beauty Queens (I had total writer envy while reading this book, but that's a subject for another post--or a therapist):

• Brilliant covers help sell books. Seriously, look at that cover. A bathing suit criss-crossed with a sash and a lipstick bandolier? Totally awesome.
• Crazy, seemingly unrelated storylines intersect to create a unique and clever plot. Beauty queens crash land on a deserted island. Pirates arrive. The girls uncover a conspiracy involving an Elvis-loving dictator. Bray's mind must be a fun, scary, brilliant, intimidating place to visit.
• Fun footnotes are a cool diversion. John Green did it in An Abundance of Katherines, and Bray did it with Beauty Queens. For me, the footnotes didn't slow down the story. They added more hilarity, and again I marveled at the author's cleverness.
• Campy, fun books can have teeth. Sure, this book might seem like it's only about self-centered beauty queens, but it carried strong messages about self-esteem, tolerance, and inner beauty.

Throughout the book, readers were treated to the contestants' Miss Teen Dream Fun Facts Pages. In an effort to either entertain you or embarrass ourselves, Lisa, Leslie and I are sharing our own fun facts pages. Here we go!

Miss Teen Dream Fun Facts Page

Name: Julie Musil (although if you visited my home, you'd think it's "Mom, do you know where my ___ is?")

State: California, where you're never too rich or too thin, and everyone has an agent or sells real estate.

Age: Are you trying to be funny? Is The Corporation selling anti-aging pills or something? I should totally sue them. *checks wrinkles in mirror*

Height: I haven't grown an inch since middle school. What does that tell ya?

Weight: See answer to "age". *checks rear view in mirror*

Hair: Are we talking roots? Or after I've seen the colorist? Just checking.

Eyes: Fine--like Elizabeth Bennett's (Mr. Darcy, call me!)

Best Feature: It depends on the day--either my positive attitude or my well-shaped feet.

Fun Facts About Me

1. At a whopping 5' 1", I'm the tallest female in my family. Seriously. One sister is 4' 9", another is 4' 11", and our mom is just under 5' 1". At least we never had to worry about wearing high heels around guys (Sorry, Nicole Kidman. That had to be rough)
2. I won't eat meat off the bone, and won't touch any seafood. Like, never. I'm actually squirming right now just thinking about it.
3. I forget serious, important information, and yet I remember useless stuff. Like Seinfeld-isms (yada yada yada, soup nazi, close talker), the Gilligan's Island theme song (Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...), and commercials (Remember this chant? Big Mac, filet-of-fish, quarter pounder, french fries. Icy Cokes, thick shakes, sundaes, and apple pies).

Ok guys, it's your turn. We're giving away a SIGNED copy of Beauty Queens! Please tell us at least one fun fact about yourself in order to be entered into our book giveaway. U.S. addresses only, and the deadline is Monday, October 24th, at midnight EST. Good luck!

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Aaaaand, Action! How to write it well

Lisa Green, my talented writing buddy and critique partner, recently had her awesome short story, IDENTITY CRISIS, published in the cool anthology GODS OF JUSTICE. Woo hoo, Lisa!

One of Lisa's many writing talents is squeezing lots of heart-pumping action into her stories, even if they're small. She's kind enough to share her secrets with us.

Take it away, Lisa!

How do you pack a lot of action into a small word count? You’ll have to pardon the pun, but you have to make every word count. Short stories are an art unto themselves. Not only do you need a clear-cut goal, motivation, and character arc, you also need to entertain, which in some cases means action.

Fight scenes are physical. It can be difficult to put down on paper the details you see in your mind. My

recommendation is to use the highlights. Look at The Date by Ty Wilson:

See how the artist lets you fill in the blanks? That’s what we have to do only with words. Did you know that in

Hitchcock’s Psycho, you never actually see the victim get stabbed in the shower scene?

But what DO you put in? Here are the steps to a good action sequence:

• Set the stage: We have to have a good idea what the space is we’re working with. In IDENTITY CRISIS I use the Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. I mention the sights and sounds, the smells even, but I don’t have to say too much because we all have a general idea what a Ferris wheel is like. The description I do use reflects my character’s feelings and the tension of the moment.
• Make ‘em wring their hands with anticipation: Good horror movies withhold the monster until the last minute. Tension is the key. If you’re writing a western, and the whole thing culminates in a shootout, you better build up to it properly. I want to feel the nerves of the MC as the clock in the town square chimes twelve.
• Show the audience the big moves: Does the MC get a punch in the gut when he fails to move out of the way? What does the force feel like? How does his body react? If it’s a big moment, slow it down. Show us a bit of internal dialogue. The MC’s reaction if it’s more than “Ow.”
• Keep your sentences clear and concise: If it’s action, too many words can slow it down. Watch your sentence structure. Use strong verbs and clear actions so we know what’s happening.

Awesome advice. Thanks, Lisa!

Writers, what do you think? Have you ever written an action story with a limited word count, or created action-packed scenes in your books? Please share your secrets!

And if you're a fan of super hero stories, be sure to let me know you'd like to win a copy of GODS OF JUSTICE. To celebrate the book release, I'm giving away one copy!

(Please comment by midnight on July 16th. US residents only for print copy, international for Kindle version)

GODS OF JUSTICE photo credit

The Date photo credit

"We're not worthy!"

Are you part of a critique group? I am, and sometimes I feel I need to pull a Wayne and Garth - you know, bow down and exclaim, "I'm not worthy!"

My group is loaded with talented writers, including Lisa Green. They're so great that I read their pages and think, no way is this their first draft (between you and me, I think Lisa submits her 10th draft...just sayin'). Meanwhile, I'm submitting my clunky first draft (shudder) and gobbling up their feedback.

I love learning from other writers. If part of my job includes dissecting the words of Suzanne Collins or Jodi Picoult, then I'm a lucky girl. If you missed it, there was a great post on Query Tracker about learning from the masters.

I'm thankful I'm surrounded by amazing critique partners, and that they're willing to improve my work. We each bring something unique to the table, and are worthy of some writerly give and take.

How about you? When you read someone else's awesome words, do you feel like jumping off a bridge, or are you inspired to sharpen your skills? And in your opinion, who is a master storyteller?

Just for smiles, check out this video by author Jen Hayley. It'll make your day!

photo credit: cinegeek.com

Me In Threes

Tory Minus tagged me in her "Me In Threes" blog post. It was fun reading Tory's answers, and getting to know her better. If you don't already follow Tory, hop on over there and check out her blog. Her family is beautiful!

For today's post, here is my "Me In Threes"

Three names I go by:

Julie

Mom

Jules

Three jobs I've had:

Ride operator at Magic Mountain

Loan closer

Assistant

Three places I've lived:

Sunland, CA

Palmdale, CA

Agua Dulce, CA

Three places I've been:

Mexico

Washington D.C.

Caribbean Islands

Three favorite movies:

Grease (I used to act out the whole movie while playing the *gasp* vinyl record!)

The Proposal (Betty White and Kevin the dog are hilarious)

Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version...white shirt, exiting the water, 'nuff said)

Three favorite books:

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Three places I'd love to visit:

Mount Rushmore

Yellowstone National Park

Australia

Three favorite hobbies:

Reading/writing

Water skiing

Camping

Three things I'm looking forward to:

Another day with my family - each one is a blessing

A published book - picture book, novel, nonfiction, I'm not picky!

Paying off our mortgage (hey, a girl can dream)

I'm tagging the following bloggers in hopes that they'll post their "Me In Threes"

Lisa Green

Joanne DeMaio

S.A. Larsen

Blogger Mommas

Slushpile Slut (hilarious name) was kind enough to give me a Blogger Momma Recognition Award. Thank you!

In honor of Mother's Day, I'd like to pay it forward. I'm passing the award along to the following moms:

Lisa Green

Tory Minus

Cynthia Reese

To all of you amazing moms out there, I wish you a Happy Mother's Day!

Writer by day...but at night???

Check out this fun post by my writer friend, Lisa Green. She's a novel-writing machine, and my fingers are crossed that her books will make it to the big leagues.