Ink in the Book

Friday and Saturday. Ink Party. Here, at Ink in the Book Be there, or be square! Ha! Really, Friday and Saturday, I'll be introducing a whole group of writers who'll be joining my inky team. We'll have a new page link up at the top of my blog and we'll be rolling out all kinds of awesomeness. We've got cute avatars and everything. You don't want to miss because we have some gifts to giveaway and lots of fun stuff happening:) Now, for today's WIP'ed Ink. Are you having problems with SHOWING vs. TELLING? Do you know what that means? I thought I knew and I thought I had it all taken care of in my writing, but guess what? It's more complicated than all that. I've done some serious study of what showing is and how to incorporate it into my manuscript. Thanks to the advice from a couple of awesome agents and writer critiques, my manuscript has endured a thorough "DO TELL ALL!" makeover. I have decided to put up a m...

Flickr link If at first you don't succeed.... You can cry Throw a fit Call people names Tear something up Eat chocolate Pout But afterwards, make sure you try, try again. Because real failure is falling and never getting up again. Have a PROSPEROUS week, beautiful guys and dolls. March 1, I'm having an INK PARTY. Want to join? Good things are happening this weekend:)

WIPs! Do you have a wip you are working on? Flikr link Today, I'd like to share some links with you that I've found so helpful while working on on new projects. I just started one today and I've found these tips perfect for starting out a new story. There aren't many entries on this blog, yet. But let me tell you...if you don't find the words of wisdom printed on these pages, then you might need more help than I can offer! The Emperor of Ice Cream I also found this page FULL of helpful advice on opening lines and pages. These are important to remember as you start on the first page. Believe me. You'll be glad I shared this link with you:) Falling Leaflets There is an extensive list of links here. Be sure you visit each one! There is a TON of info provided by these agents. Great stuff! And last, but certainly not least, here is a link for more agent-must-have-info on first page and also, what NOT to begin your WIP with on the first page: Adv...

Hey all my beautiful guys and dolls! I know it's been quiet around here. I'm so sorry! I have been swamped with things and honestly, it's been a real emotional roller coaster around my house the past few weeks! Yikes!! So, today, we're talking about inspiration and how we can use it to tint our ink. Flickr link Inspiration doesn't come easy. Sometimes, I really, really have to work at it. Other times, it comes so naturally I almost feel guilty over it! My advice: when inspiration strikes and you are on a nonstopable roll, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE! When the dry spells come, and they will come sooner or later, you may wonder around, not knowing what to do or how to overcome the blank white page. When that happens, it's okay to lay down the pen and ink and rest. But don't do that for too long of a time. Resting is okay, but get out of that rut and start looking for new inspiration as soon as you can. Places to look: F...

Who won the 18 Things blog tour free book? Tamara! Jamie will be in touch with you:) Congratulations and thanks everyone for visiting  Tuesday's Tinted Ink!!

It's time for another Happy Reminder of the small things that keep us happy! This week, I am happy for: My husband coming home from a week long trip: Smooches and goodies came back with him! My daughter has made it to her 2nd trimester and so far, the baby and her, are healthy! (she had a miscarriage earlier, at about this same time in the pregnancy) I have a new group of writing pals I'm so excited to be part of! What about you? What are celebrating this week? As usual, THANK YOU VIKKI for hosting!

When I heard Jessa Russo was going this blog hop, I hopped right right in! I loved Ever and Frankie was who I rooted for, and I'm still rooting for him! I loved him before I ever met him, and this is why I chose this particular character... Name: Angelica, but my friends call me Angel Age : 16 Gender : I'm a girl Good or bad? Depends. I've been in love with Frankie ever since the night he died. You see, I died the same night Frankie died. Not in a car crash, but I drowned. By the hand of someone I though was my friend. Frankie hasn't met me, yet, nor I him. But we met our fate the same night. Somehow, I feel that connects us, even though Ever doesn't know it. Yet.

Hey you beautiful guys and dolls! Today, I have a special treat for you! Today, I'm hosting a special guest post with Jamie Ayres , author of 18 Things. She's hear to talk about Sweet First Kisses! Of course it's close to Valentines Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to ask for a kissy scene. Don't worry. It's sweet and clean and perfect. First, I'd like to take a few minutes and share the results of Operation Agent Ink. We had 13 entries. 8 request/ partials for YA 4 request/partials for Adult I'm happy for all those who received requests and for those who didn't. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP. Now, here's our guest post from Jamie: Jamie Ayres What Was Your First Kiss Like? It was May 1991. My boyfriend and I had been going out for seven months (which was like seven years in middle school time!), and we thought we were in love. The rumor of the entire sixth grade was he was going to kiss me at the e...

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and are tackling the new week with style and pizazz! Keep watching for the results of Operation Agent Ink. I'm compiling a list RIGHT NOW TO POST! Me? This week will be busy. I'm working on revisions and edits. Plus, the blog will have a new look page next week! That's right, I've got some super fun things coming your way. Remember, I told you I had big plans for Ink in the Book? Well, I do! It's something I never expected, but it all happened so quickly and it's fallen into place without a single wrinkle and I'm so excited to share it with you:) There's going to be five of us here at Ink in the Book. On my new page, we're creating a writing group. We're planning lots of advice, help, encouragement, reviews, contests, blog hops, and so much more! Great things are in store and I'm so excited to get it started, but alas! It must wait until next week! Flickr link

If you are here to visit the CELEBRATING THE SMALL THINGS BLOG HOP , please click here. You guys! You beautiful guys and dolls! Operation Agent Ink Pitch Opportunity has finally arrived! It's here! And I am so excited about today and tomorrow! The workshop has been going since November, with sign-ups beginning in in October. We've had so much fun, haven't we? I had over 100 authors and writers sign up for the workshop. Can you believe that? I was surprised, but in a very happy surprise! Now, I'm not exactly for sure WHY, but many participants (many, many) chose not to send in their entry for the pitch opportunity. And so, there are only a few entries for our agents to choose from. But, these entries are really great and I hope the agents find a manuscript they have been searching for and hoping to find for months! I received one entry that contained only the query letter. I have emailed her and asked her to send me the first page. When she sends it ...

Title: Sacred Blood Genre: Young Adult, supernatural Word Count: 87,000 Query: Upon discovering her vicious ex-boyfriend is a werewolf, 18-year-old Juliette St. Claire will risk her life to protect his enemies and the new man she loves, a man harboring his own secret identity. Juliette lives her existence resigned to her boyfriend, Nathaniel Jensen's violent whims. After a particularly violent evening, she has had enough, and a high window is her only chance at escaping with her life. Desperate to live through the night, she flees. Finally free, Juliette finds her best friend, but just when she needs him the most, Tristan Larocque must leave. She learns that he is an unusual breed of vampire who needs to find and warn a lost vampire coven that they are in danger from Nathaniel, an instinctively violent werewolf leader determined to abolish them. Rather than hide from the danger her ex presents, Juliette, knowing what makes Nathaniel tick and determined to keep ...

Title:  THE DREAMSPEAKER'S DIARY Genre:  YA Word Count: 70,000 Query: Brier has a secret: She can speak her dreams into existence. After a frightening childhood event, she’s learned to keep her talent hidden, and she’ll do whatever it takes to prevent her dreams from taking shape. But that all changes when Keller Temms comes to town. Enigmatic and brooding, he’s a foster child with a guarded past, yet he draws her like nothing else. Suddenly, Brier's closely controlled life is thrown off balance as her dreams take on a life of their own—even showing up at Grayson High without warning. When agents from a secret dream lab come after her, Brier must push the boundaries of her dreamspeaking abilities in ways she never imagined possible. As the danger escalates, Brier must decide if Keller can be a trusted ally or if he’s the reason she’s a target in the first place. THE DREAMSPEAKER'S DIARY is a 70,000 word YA novel with series potential. I...

Title: Fire and Ice Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Word Count: 88,000 Query: With one simple touch, two teens discover a world of monsters and secret societies within the realms of humanity. When sixteen-year-old Shelly accidentally runs into too-hot-for-his-own-good Kale, she discovers he ignites a fire within her—literally. After uncovering her fire power she starts receiving threatening text messages, and begins to see monsters that should be confined to fairy tales lurking in the real world.  After Shelly is kidnapped by a troll with questionable hygiene, she comes face to face with her mystery texter, Red, a woman determined to use Shelly for her own sadistic purposes. Of course Shelly’s not going to turn to the dark side if she can help it, but when Red threatens her family and friends, there’s no choice left. Red’s first task for Shelly is to infiltrate the Circle of Elements, a secret society of people with powers just like Shelly’s, who protect the wor...

Title: ELEMENTAL FIRE        Genre: YA Fantasy Word Count: 70,000 Query: Fourteen-year-old Brook wishes she could merge the two halves of her life: the fearless girl who flies across the countryside on the back of a runaway horse and the timid misfit who flails at communicating with her friends and father after her mother’s death. Her father’s repeated disappearances don’t help either. Brook hides in his workshop as he walks through a solid rock wall momentarily turned into a blinding doorway to another world. She follows and must confront all her insecurities to prevent the theft of five ancient talismans by a madman responsible for the bizarre blizzard that killed her mother. Only by cooperating with two boys who fight their own desires to snatch the talismans, trusting them with the secret of her new ability to track hidden people by their Heartfires and harnessing the mind-healing power of the Fire talisman can she prevent...

Title: Deceptive Cadence Genre: YA Contemporary with Time Travel elements Word Count: 85,000   Query: Cadence awakes in a hospital to find her husband and daughter dead, killed in a freak earthquake. So when her guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time with all the knowledge she has, she accepts, desperate to prevent their deaths. She shoots back eleven years to her fourteen-year-old self, and faces high school all over again. She is determined to do everything better, including preventing the loss of her best friend, which broke her heart, and not dating any of her original, drama-inducing boyfriends. Her main focus is on her future husband, who she won’t meet for several years. But James Gordon crosses her path. While she wishes to remain single, the bad boy pursues her. He threatens to disrupt everything that is to come as she begins to grow unwanted feelings for him, and distract her from her original goal: to save her future fam...

Title: REINVENTING DOROTHY WEIL Genre: YA Contemporary Word Count: 65,000 Query: 16-year-old Dorothy Weil knows there’s something worse than being seen as a loser: not being seen at all. Her social anxiety disorder makes it nearly impossible to make friends, and her parents don’t even bother to ask her opinion when her dad decides to take a six-month sabbatical in London. But when Dorothy’s therapist suggests that she use the opportunity to reinvent herself, something inside of Dorothy clicks. In London, Dorothy introduces herself as Kenzie, the name of the most popular girl in school back home. And somehow, pretending to be Kenzie allows Dorothy to become the person she’s always wanted to be: popular, funny, outgoing. Then Dorothy’s father decides to tutor a freshman at the university, Jonathon North, and it’s as if he can see right through Kenzie’s shiny exterior to the dull girl underneath. Even worse, Dorothy finds herself caring what Jonathon thinks of her.  ...

Title: Secretly Enchanted Genre: Paranormal Romance Word Count: 93,000 Query: With fierce intelligence and impeccable charm, world-renowned biological researcher James Blackburn leads scientists to discoveries that expose the very secrets of the universe. When a windstorm shatters a laboratory on a perfect spring day, even he can't explain it. He will discover the culprit. With the power to defy physics' uncompromising laws, Kyla leads a double life. To the world she is assistant professor Dr. Kyla Conley, but to her people, she is the most powerful enchantress of all time. At all costs, she must protect her people's secret. To do so she must convince one researcher that sorcery does not exist. With no choice but to infiltrate his investigation and derail his mission, Kyla fights to prove the supernatural lives only in dreams and fairytales, all the while resisting the inexplicable attraction that grows every day. As the masterful scientist grows closer to he...

Title: WITHOUT BORDERS Genre: Multicultural/Women’s Fiction Word Count: 75,000 Query:       Amanda Smith’s grandpapa taught her the language of his birth country but died without revealing anything of his life before America. Determined to find answers, Amanda leaves her home in Texas for the city her grandpapa grew up in, Pécs, Hungary. Captured by the beauty and history of the walled city without cultural borders, Amanda embraces all of its aspects, including the people ostracized by racial barriers-- Gypsies. Excitement flutters inside her when Luca, a Gypsy dancer, moves his hips with precision. And she yearns to know him more when she observes him caring for his dying sister. After a short, summer fling she agrees to an odd marriage proposal. Before the wedding, her grandpapa’s brother visits. He exposes the real reason his brother fled Hungary for America. Secrets that open old wounds and reveal a connection with Luca’s clan. ...

Title: Going Thru Hell Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy Word Count: 72,000 Query:   --> For Kylie Rippons changing events in time is like braiding. Except the steep cost the power demands – she must forfeit a pieces of soul. The gods want her unique skills for their never-ending wars, uncaring of the cost she must bear. But she prefers sanity with her tattered spirit intact. The only solution is to wage war against the powerful immortals using secondary abilities, especially if it guarantees her beloved son, Riot, will remain a secret. Two ancient goddesses, an outcast Valkyrie and a rogue Beserker team up with Kylie to protect and fight with her. Together, they hunt the gods, in hopes of forcing them leave her alone. Too bad life gets in the way. She loses battles, betrayed by a beloved ally, and finds herself on the verge being completely soulless.  Kylie wants her son, sanity and live a life of peace in the Denver suburbs. Instead, the gods lea...

Title: Entrusted Genre: Urban Fantasy Word Count: Query:  When seventeen year old Emma's best friend turns out to be protective spirit, she never imagined he was sent to save her from her boyfriend Luke.  Emma may not have a family and lived in group homes her whole life, but even she knows love shouldn’t come at a price.  In an attempt to escape Luke’s obsessive control, Emma is pulled into a world of Native American legend, and hidden powers of telepathy begin to emerge.   Able to hear the thoughts of those around her would be an advantage, that is if Luke wasn’t able to block her.  As her powers grow stronger she learns about Skinwalkers—witches who alter their shape to wreak havoc on humans.  And Luke is one of them.  Disguised as a raven, Luke watches, waiting until Emma turns eighteen so he can reclaim the powers that are rightfully his, even if it means killing everyone in his way. When Emma meets Solomon, a you...

Title: Dragon Genre: Adult Fantasy with Romantic Elements Word Count: 72,000 Query:  Dear Agents, The mighty dragons who have defended Kalon for centuries are dying, victims of merciless attacks by a foreign dragon clan. The dragon council is panicking and desperate to find a replacement for the females they've lost. Maayin is their last hope, never mind she has lived under the assumption of being human for eighteen years. Taken from her home, told she is a dragon, Maayin is unwilling to trust anyone but Jaimin, her young tutor. He has his own reservations about keeping her imprisoned in all but name and promises to return her to her home if she can prove she is human and of no use to the council's scheme of using her to keep the species viable. Her struggle to accept the truth of being a dragon brings her dangerously closer to Jaimin. She doesn't know that her tutor is keeping her from an elder dragon who is more than willing to destroy Maayin...

Title: NEEDING HER  Genre: Women's Fiction Word Count: 84,000 Query: After finding out she’ll give birth to a second son, Victoria Logan is determined to make her third and final a girl. Victoria yearns to have a daughter who will fulfill her desire for a meaningful mother-daughter relationship, unlike the lackluster one she has with her own mother. She joins an online gender swaying forum, consults with a psychic, gazes up at the moon for just the right cloak of darkness, and tries out different lovemaking positions. During her quest, she battles pessimism from family and friends and a heartache that tests her will. On the gender swaying forum, she meets Lacey Dalton, the mother of two daughters, scarred by her infant son’s death and possessed with the need to bear another son. Lacey can’t risk a mere fifty percent chance at obtaining him. While considering high-tech options, she pursues a gender selection method that comes with an almost ironclad guarantee, but one ...