Sharp Pen/Dull Sword

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 21:01:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

News and an updated website coming soon!

Love,
Lola

♫ THE ONE THING ♫ Cover Reveal ♫ !!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 08:30:00 +0000

I am utterly elated to help share the cover for a book I love (THE ONE THING coming to a bookstore shelf near you in Sept.), written by a person I love: my dear friend Marci Lyn Curtis.

This book, y'all. This book.

Trust me, I predict VERY BIG THINGS for THE ONE THING (Disney-Hyperion, Sept. 8th 2015).

Before I say anything more (and, oh, I will say much more), let's give you the official blurb, shall we? ("blurb" is funny word!):

Official BLURB:

A soaring tale of life and love, of sacrifice and renewal, and learning to see people as they really are.

Maggie Sanders might be blind, but she won't invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago, Maggie's rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal.

Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn't interested in rehabilitation, not when she's still mourning the loss of her professional soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory.

When Maggie first meets Ben, she thinks she can add crazy to her list of problems. But the precocious ten-year-old isn't a hallucination. Maggie can actually see him. She immediately befriends the kid, desperate for any chance to see again.

It turns out Ben's older brother is Mason Milton, the ridiculously hot lead singer of Maggie's new favorite band. Music is the first thing that has made Maggie feel alive since losing her sight. But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future...before she loses everything she has grown to love.

Okay. Now let me tell you more...

I could tell you how I've read several drafts of this book SEVERAL times and STILL laughed out loud and STILL wept real tears, AGAIN, even when I knew what was going to happen from prior readings.

I could tell you how when you hear publishing professionals use the term "voice", well, THE ONE THING is a dazzling example of a book brimming with voice.

I could tell you how 17-year-old Maggie has so much personality, she feels so real, so distinctly "Maggie", you could never confuse her for any other character in existence. She is riotously funny and flawed and layered and heartbreakingly full of heart.

I could tell you that there's a hot love interest, Mason, and some truly epic romance, because there is. Like, swoony romance that gives you goosebumps yet feels authentic.

But...Ben. Ben Ben Ben. Y'all. Ben has my heart. He's 10 and oozes charm and...we all need a Ben in our life. He feels so real to me, it's like I know him, like I should be able to drive to his house and game with him.

Which brings me to THE (not just one) THING that makes me love this book so deeply: the unlikely but heartwarming FRIENDSHIP between 17-year-old Maggie and 10-year-old Ben.

There's so much more to Maggie's story. This book is special.

But I guess you want to see the cover now, so let's get to it. It's chock full of symbolism...ready?...

Okay:

I love this cover, a cover that will make so much sense once you read the book. It makes my heart sing because I 'get' all the symbolism and it's perfect. And I love the neon colors and graphic design.
(I can't wait for you to read this book I adore.)

I want you to hear more about the cover and the book right from the author herself, my friend who makes me laugh and eats cheese with me, Marci Lyn Curtis.

this is Marci. she makes me laugh.

AND SHE IS HAS AN AWESOME GIVEAWAY going on over there! Aren't these custom earrings fabulous?

Please, click here, and head over to visit Marci and tell her* I say hi (*and that I hope her dog hasn't eaten any unmentionables today) (seriously, tell her that)!

Terrible Titles blog hop thingy

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 18:47:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

I hope this finds you all well.
I know, I've been away from my blog for so long. In my defense, there was a long distance move, and the unpacking and getting settled in a new house. There was sending our daughter off to college. There was Nanowrimo and YallFest. Now there's the marvelous madness of the holidays. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

But here I am now, because I was tagged by my lovely friend Katy Upperman for the Terrible Titles Blog Hop. She was tagged by Kate Hart (who is delightful--her debut, After the Fall, comes out in 2016). And so it goes.

I don't usually do these tags (read: I NEVER do these tags), because A) lazy and B) no time and C) they usually involve posting my writing online, which I don't do.

But, I figured this is as good a reason to dust off this here ol' blog as any...and also, I don't have the heart to say no to Katy.

The rules of the blog hop are simple: Scroll through your manuscript and stop in random places. Whatever words/phrase the cursor lands on becomes one of eight terrible titles.

From my VERY drafty (Nano) first draft, HUSK (a working title, and it's terrible as is, so really any of the following bits might actually be an improvement!):

about to get brained
a shallow, blood-gurgling wheeze
moving slower than panic demands
the ghost of empty rooms
an island of peace in a sea of chaos
he had come here to die
want and need are unrelated
swallowed into the mist

So, there you have it. Make of that what you will.

I won't tag others specifically, but please feel free to consider yourself tagged if you wish to play along.

More posts with news coming soon.

In the meantime, tell me your bad titles...or what you've read lately and loved. Or tell me anything.

Love,

Lola

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0000

HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY LENNY LEE!!

The writing community misses you. We hope you are feeling well.

Love,
Lola

Lola's Moving Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 00:44:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

*blows dust of this here bloggity-blog* *taps ~~mic~~ screen*

Hi. I've missed you. You sure look pretty today.

I know it has been a shamefully l-o-n-g time since I've done a blog post. I keep tabs on most of y'all on The Twitter, where I tend to spend my online social time. But I felt kind of sad about this poor neglected, lonely blog.

It's just that it's been a helluva crazy 2014 and there hasn't been time for blog posts.

(And I REALLY don't have time for one right now either, except...)

I wanted to let you all know I miss you.

And to fill you in on the crazy stuff happening in my life, WHY I haven't been around.

I'm still writing books.

Except, well, not much in the last couple months...because...

... we are in the process of moving 5 states away to my beloved Charleston, SC. (hence the "Lola's Moving Castle" title)

We put our house up here on the market and sold it and bought a house down there. Well, the closing date on both ends is not until July 25th, but everything is under contract.

And, friends, if it could go wrong, IT HAS.

And we haven't even closed on the house(s) or moved yet.

First major glitch was finding out our seemingly perfectly functioning, 9 year old septic system failed our buyer's inspection. And a new one costs $20,000. Okay. Rolled with that punch. But ALL the qualified professionals in a hundred mile radius are booked for months and can't do it in time for closing. Can't do it until mid-autumn! Not to be deterred, I found The Most Expensive Company In ALL The Land and cried and sweet talked and badgered and begged them and coughed up MORE coin... and a new septic is being put in as I type. There's a big backhoe and a gaping maw in my front yard. Fun times.

Lots of other monkey wrenches, but lets skip all of them and skip to the MAJOR wrench: our buyers (smartly) had a Radon test done with their home inspection. Radon tests are not often done around here. Not mandatory or even suggested. The home inspection came back great, as we expected it would. The house is in excellent shape. BUT, holy mother, our radon test failed! 4 times the "acceptable level". I didn't know anything about Radon, but OMG, now I do. Radon guy is coming this Monday to fix our toxic levels of Radon in our house. The cancer-causing radiation gas that has unknowingly been in this house we had built 9 years ago, this house we've been raising our daughter in since third grade. Yeah. That caused a lot of full-on sobbing. And there's nothing I can do to repair any damage it may have done to us. And it's an easy, one-day job, under $2,000 to have fixed. I'd gladly have paid 2k to have the air pump put in IF I KNEW. (so, to be clear, I'm not upset about paying $2k to have it fixed, I'm upset we've been unknowingly living in it)

(PLEASE GET YOUR HOME TESTED FOR RADON. It is a silent, odorless, invisible killer. It is cheap to test--they even have DIY kits at your local hardware store--and if you have high levels, it is easy and relatively inexpensive to have a pro fix it and have your levels way down to almost zero. It's in every county of every state in the US and most countries of the world. You don't have to have a basement; your home can test high on a slab or crawl space. Your home can test high even if your next door neighbor just tested fine. It can be at your work, schools, etc. Please. I don't want you to ever feel the way I felt when we found out we've been living with it for almost ten years. Most cities make us have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detecters, but not radon tests, which makes my heart hurt now that I know. I will be testing all of us for lung cancer--chest x-rays-- on a regular basis now. I can't stress enough how serious this is. So many tears just thinking about it. Please PLEASE get your home tested asap.)

Speaking of tears, but HAPPY tears, our daughter had her senior prom in May, and graduated high school in June. I'm so proud of her. And next month, in August, she leaves me forever to go off to college and become an adult. ALL THE TEARS.

senior prom

So, anyway, in three weeks we move. I'm hoping nothing else major (or minor) goes wrong. (what could possibly go wrong with the movers and all our stuff on a semi-tractor-trailer loaded by strangers and driven by strangers across country???) (*guzzles more Pepto* *tosses back a handful more Tums*) (did I mention that the mover's estimate was $22k?!?) (did I mention I'll be driving 12 hours down with a kid, 2 dogs, and a very nervous cat in my car to get to the closing down there, while my husband stays up here, in an empty house, to do the closing up here and then he drives down?) (how much do you wish you were me right now?)

The good news is we love the house we bought down there. It's 7 minutes from the beach. 15 minutes from downtown. It's on a pond with jumping fish and chirping frogs and pollywogs. We call the house "Froggy". We love the area. I've lived there before. Charleston (and her beaches) has always been the city of my heart. So, all this pain will be worth it.

I hope to be back to writing full-time in September.

Let me know if you'll be coming to YAllFest this year. I'll be there. I'd love to meet up!

How are YOU? Read any good books lately? Write any good books lately?

Love,

Lola

What's Up Wednesday: October Edition (part-1)

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:34:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Happy October! And Happy Hump Day....which means it's time for a What's Up Wednesday. (sign up at Jaime's blog and join us)

What I'm Reading:
I've read so many books since I last posted, so I'll just list a couple highlights:

NIGHT FILM: Wow, what a ride. And also, man, did she get lucky with her publisher, because even the quality of the paper they used to print her book is thick and glossy and lush. (the hardback weighs a ton)

THE BITTER KINGDOM (the final book in Rae Carson's Fire & Thorns trilogy):
What a satisfying ending to this YA fantasy series. I loved all 3 books. Sad it's over.

What I'm Writing:
I'm still tinkering on the pre-writing, the nailing down of of the slippery thing that is my SNI, which will be my Nanowrimo project (and is the SNI I've mentioned before)
(if you want to be buddies on the fun that is Nano, my name on the site is: the-sharp-pen).
I've been doing some free-writing and research and collecting images on my Pinterest Board (called 'Nano Project') for inspiration. And I've made my playlist.

What Inspires Me Right Now:
I always fin this category to be the most difficult, because EVERYTHING inspires me. Leaving the house, travel, taking a walk, nature, movies, hanging out with friends and family, going to museums, art (viewing and creating), music, reading, people-watching, magazines, pinterest, phone conversations with friends, the news, pamphlets, cheering on fellow writers (and them cheering me on)...literally everything.
But, I suppose if you're looking for specifics on this SNI, I'd say the images in the pinterest board I mentioned above inspire me. And this song:

What Else I've Been Up To:
Well, I don't want to talk about the Government Shutdown and how that is has a stranglehold on my family and household. So, moving on.
We've been doing a LOT of college visits because our daughter is a senior in high school. (Holy shiz)
And I've been working on going and cooking mostly vegetarian and organic. Except when I'm snarfing down yummy pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting....and meatballs. And PopTarts. Okay, I'm mostly failing at it, but I am trying.
And I have my house all decorated and spookified for Halloween.
And I've been reading and critiquing LOTS of fulls lately.

Okay, that's far more than enough about me. Now it's YOUR turn...
What's Up with YOU??

Have a marvelous week! xoxo

Love,

Lola

What's Up Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:25:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

*Waves* I hope this finds you all having a marvelous end of your summer.
Here's what's going on in my world, WUW-style.

WHAT I'M READING:

To be honest, I've started reading a bunch of books this week and quit most of them. I guess I'm in a bit of a reading slump. But since my last post (a couple/few weeks ago) there have a been a few books I made it through and LOVED:

CHARM & STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn (a small YA book that packs a big quirky punch, told from a male POV...and I won't say much else about it, because it's unique and I don't want to ruin the surprise of it.)

The DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater (lovely prose, as you'd expect, this second book in the YA Raven Boys series was also a nice adventure. This was an ARC (THANK YOU, Sarah Goldberg), but you'll be able to get it in mid-Sept., and I do recommend this series.)

84, CHARING CROSS ROAD by Helene Hanff a very charming little NF book first published in 1970. It's a thin little book of letters sent back and forth for 20 years between Helen, a free-lance writer and avid reader/book lover living in Brooklyn NY, and a book dealer in London during wartime and well beyond (late 40's-late 60s). It's a very fast read, full of humor and serious book love and man, did it gave me ALL THE FEELS. No wonder it is still in print after all these years. I highly rec.

WHAT I'M WRITING:

Well, I've been so super busy this week I haven't had time to write anything except notes in a notebook (for I am getting ready to start a SNI in earnest), and so nothing big to report here. But, I *am* excited about this shiny new idea. (it's the same SNI I've talked about, the one I was trying to put off while I SHOULD be working on revisions. And I have put it off---though not done as much with the revisions as I should've, due to being way too busy lately---but now SNI's time has come. And so, starting next week, I shall go forth and write shiny new words!) (but also, I will be working on revisions.) (maybe.) (slacker Lola is a slacker)

WHAT'S INSPIRING ME RIGHT NOW:

THIS SONG. OMG THIS SONG. This will be The Song of SNI. (FYI, it isn't on spotify, sadly)

What's up with YOU? How was YOUR WEEK?

Love,

Lola

Quickie What's Up Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:20:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. WuW is a easy way to post on Wednesdays with four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. You can link up each week at Jaime's blog.

WHAT I'M READING:
Since last week's WuW I read:
A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness. (LOVED)
MIND GAMES by Kirsten White
and Re-read:
THE WAR OF ART by Steven Pressfield (a favorite of mine and I highly recommend to all writers, along with BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott)
And one of my favorite books 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel García Márquez

WHAT I'M WRITING:

To be honest, I didn't get as much as I'd hoped done last week.
I revised about 7-8 pages of one project and maybe 2 pages of another.
And that SNI that I've been trying to ignore? I mostly ignored it. No new words, but I confess to thinking about it more than I should. (I need to be thinking about the above projects and how to make them everything they need to be).
One of the things I keep thinking about is how to tell the story in an interesting way by playing with its structure. (and my recent binge-watching of LOST is only exasperating that desire.) (what could possibly go wrong?)

MY GOAL THIS WEEK is to focus hard on writing my 2nd draft of Backwards Book. I'd like to knock out a couple chapters of it, at least.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:
I've been busy. But when I've had time to relax I've been binging on watching the TV show LOST. Lots of friends on Twitter told me I had to. So I am. I finished season 4 last night. And all I can say is: HOLY SHIZZBALLS. What a ride so far!
(if the series ender ends up explaining it was all a dream, I'm gonna be pissed.)

WHAT'S INSPIRING ME RIGHT NOW:
This song works on so many levels for my southern gothic backwards book.

What's up with YOU? How was YOUR WEEK?

Love,

Lola

What's Up Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

What's up?

Here's 'what's up' with me this week for What's Up Wednesday:

What I'm Reading: For research purposes I read STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It was surprisingly entertaining and even funny, as well as educational and fascinating.

I also read and critiqued 2 full manuscripts for friends. (both excellent!)

What I'm Writing: I'm still revising the same two projects, and flirting with a SNI. Due to a crazy busy holiday weekend, not much got done on any of them.
BUT, I have BIG goals and plans for this week! Progress will be made and shown under this heading next week, pinky promise.

What Else I've Been Up To: I ate my weight in cherries and fried green tomatoes this week. The fresh produce this time of year makes me happy. I suppose I need to take some extra hot yoga classes this week to counteract.

What's Inspiring Me Now:

Also: I am giving away a copy of THIS IS W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker!! Please ENTER HERE.

What's up with YOU? How was your week?

Love,

Lola

♫ THIS IS W.A.R.: The Playlist (& GIVEAWAY) ♫

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 06:26:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Today I have a couple of very special treats for you.

1) I get to share Lisa and Laura Roecker's (rockin'!) playlist for THIS IS WAR!

2) I'm giving away one copy of THIS IS WAR to one of you!

I know all of you know the gorgeous Roecker sisters...

I die. Look at them! They are The Pretty AND super sweet AND they have great taste in tunes!

and I hope you know all about their brand new novel, THIS IS W.A.R., hot off the presses onto bookstore shelves everywhere!

This is not a story of forgiveness...

The mystery of their best friend's murder drives four girls to destroy the Gregory family. Emily Thorne would be proud.

Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club saw Willa Ames-Rowan climb into a boat with James Gregory, the Club’s heir apparent.
And everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club watched him return. Alone.
They all know he killed her. But none of them will say a word. The Gregory family is very, very good at making problems go away.
Enter the W.A.R.—the war to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan. Four girls. Four very different motives for justice and revenge, and only one rule: destroy the Gregory family at any cost.

Exciting, right?!

But what you probably don't know are the songs that inspired them while writing THIS IS WAR.

I absolutely l❤ve this diverse playlist. Every single song.
Their playlist sets the tone of their book perfectly. Very soundtrack-ish-able.

So go here, to their Hypster Playlist made just for YOU! •♪♫•*¨*•.♪

DO YOU WANT TO WIN A COPY of THIS IS WAR? (i KNOW you do!)

All you have to do to enter is leave a message in the comments of this post, telling us which of the songs in their playlist is your favorite. +1

That's it.

But, you can also earn extra entires:

+2 Follow Lisa and Laura on The Twitter: @landlroecker
+3 Tweet link this post and giveaway (incl. our @handles)
+1 Follow me on The Twitter: @LolaSharp

*Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. Tues., July 16th.
*Leave all the links (to your tweets, etc.) and your email address (a way to contact you if you win) in the comments below.

Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing partners with a passion for good books, pop culture, and Bravo programming. Not necessarily in that order. A prepubescent obsession with Lois Duncan and their mother's insistence that they read Men Are Just Desserts inspired This is WAR. The sisters live in Cleveland, Ohio, in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex. Cyberstalking is always encouraged at lisa-laura.blogspot.com and @landlroecker on Twitter.

Love,

Lola

What's Up Wednesday: Ready Set Write

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

*blows dust off blog*
*taps microphone*

Time, it's a precious and tricksy thing.
There's just never enough of it to Do All The Things.

Thus, some things fall through the cracks.

(Blogging has been one of those things for me for a while. I'm sorry. I miss you.)

Some things can be let go for a while...but then one day Mount Washmore starts toppling and there's no clean underwear.

We try, oh yes we try, to find balance and time to keep up with the important things. But it's challenging, this delicate balancing dance we do on the tightrope of life as a writer (and parent and homeowner and pet herder and friend and human). We're spread thin, we writers. And there's a substantial amount of guilt involved. (amiright?)

Feeling guilty is poopy.

So I'm ditching guilt.

To that end I've joined up with Alison Miller, Jaime Morrow, Katy Upperman (and friends) and their summer writing soirée they call Ready. Set. WRITE! (detailed explanation HERE) The basic gist is to write all summer and post some details of your progress on Wednesdays. It's not too late to join (I'm late to the party, in fact).

This is great for me because even though I'm already writing daily, this motivates me and holds me accountable to blogging every Wednesday. Plus, I really like the people involved and look forward to cheering them (and you!) on every Wednesday. #win

And aside from Ready Set Write, I have some other exciting things to share with you over the next few days and weeks!

Okay, here we go:

What I'm Reading: I just finished THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey. It's a fairytale retelling (of a lesser known Russian fairytale) set in frigid 1920's Alaska. It's atmospheric and rather sad.

I love the cover art.

What I'm Writing: I'm working on revisions on two projects (both upper YA, both magical realism; one with a southern gothic vibe told backwards, structurally) and as reward I'm also (sneakily) drafting a SNI. I'm not a plotter, so I'm not exactly sure where it's going yet, but it's very different from my usual style. It started with a snapshot vision of scene...a very grisly scene, and I'm just rolling with it. My goal is to completely finish revisions on one of the projects by mid-August, and the other by mid-Sept. (not sure what my goal is for the SNI. We'll see.)

What Else I've Been Up To: My daughter finished her junior year of high school; she is now officially a senior! *hyperventilates* *dies* (guys, I JUST took her to her first day of kindergarten...where I sobbed watching her walk into her classroom with her little backpack. Like I said, time is a tricksy thing. It flies.) (Except when you're at the DMV.)

We've been taking her to visit colleges. In fact, today, Wednesday, she is having daddy-daughter time and they're visiting his alma mater (Rutgers) and taking the tour. And then we're off to the shore for the long holiday weekend...and plenty of these:

image and recipes from Real Simple

What's Inspiring Me Now: To get an idea of the many things that inspire me, my Pinterest boards give a rather varied account of the music, poetry, literature, art and imagery that moves me. Aside from the things you might find there, I also find travel highly inspirational (of course there's boards of that too).

But music always his me in the feels, and is often my cornerstone for w solid writing session. Music gets me in the mood, almost method acting-style, to write a particular scene.

For the Southern Gothic/Backwards Book revisions, these are a couple of the songs that inspired me:

Bottom of The River by Delta Rae (such a moody video...perfect for my book)

Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars

Sideways by Citizen Cope

NEWS:
Oh! Also, I'll be back here this Saturday (July 6th) to celebrate the lovely Lisa and Laura Roecker's new release THIS IS W.A.R. They're gonna share their playlist with us AND I'm GIVING AWAY A COPY, so please stop by!

could they *be* more gorgeous? <3 td="">

Okay, now it your turn! Tell me, what's up with YOU? Tell me All The Things!

Love,

Lola

☆CELEBRATING GOOD NEWS and GOOD PEOPLE!☆

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

There's really very little I love more than celebrating good publishing news of my friends...

and TODAY, someone most of you know (and everyone should know, because she's sweet and kind and thoughtful) has some VERY GOOD NEWS!!!

Christina deserves this most excellent news!

The lovely Christina Lee (with her agent Sara Megibow) has a SHINY BOOK DEAL!!!!!!!!!!

I'm lucky enough to have read it...and GUYS, YOU WANT TO READ IT! The male love interest? *SWOON!*

So, click on her name and go hear all about her journey straight from her! Give her lots of love and glitter cannons and sky writing and parades and such!!

Congrats Xtina!!!! ;)

Love,

Lola

☆ Happy New Year! ☆

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 02:11:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Happy '13!
I hope this finds you off to a delightful start to 2013. (Holy crap, 2013! Shouldn't we be riding around in flying cars by now??)

I am rather fond of shiny new years. They're so ripe and plump with possibility.

I spent the last few days working on my 2013 Writer Goals.

I'd like to share some of them with you:

1) Continue to support and be a light for my fellow authors and writers. This is a tough biz, and I want to help keep friends and fellow writers focused on the creative, fun part...and help support the business part. I will strive to keep people positive and inspired. Writing and reading is pure imagination and magic. I want to help my fellow writer friends keep that magic that alive, especially when the sparkle feels like it's dulling.

a) And, likewise, I vow to surround myself only with those who do the same (for others and for me).

Cultivating and supporting good, true friends in this business is crucial. I shall strive to do my part.

2) Be a better blogger in '13.

To that end, I want to apologize for being The Worst Blogger In All The Land.
I had little to say in '12 on here that I couldn't say in less than 140 characters on The Twitter. I've been trying to save all my writing words and creativity for writing books, and critiquing for friends.
Now that the calendar has rolled over to a spanky new year, I've made a commitment to refurbish my blog and relaunch with a shiny new look. I promise good things. I have a plan. *twirls mustache*

The goal is to have this up and ready by the end of the month, or early Feb.

3) Revise the two novels I drafted in '12.

4) Exercise daily. Eat cleaner. Why? Writing is sedentary. I have severe asthma. This is not good. Also, I love animals, and this planet, so I am trying not to eat meat. Our dairy products and eggs are all organic and from free-range farms. Our fruits and veggies are all organic. I want to do better, for my health, for our planet's health.

(No, I am not going to give up Doritos. Or chocolate cake. Ain't gonna happen.)

There's more, but I won't bore you with any more.

Anyway, I sincerely wish you a marvelous, healthy, creative, love-filled year.
Please know that I am grateful for you.

What are YOUR top goals for this sparkly new year?

Love,

Lola

ARC Giveaway-- THE RAVEN BOYS

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Who wants to win an ARC of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys? Because I am giving one away!

Comes out Sept. 18th

The Official Blurb:

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there — known as Raven Boys — can only mean trouble.

All you have to do to enter to win is follow my blog (so I can see your little avatar in my Google Friend Connect) and leave me a comment on this post letting me know you want to be entered (and your email address so I can let the winner know they won). = 1 entry.

If you want extra entries you can:

Follow me on Twitter (@LolaSharp)--1
Tweet about this giveaway--2
(please include links and total entries in the comments)

This giveaway is international and ends at midnight August 17th.

Good luck!

Love,
Lola

MAY DAY!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

May Day, may day!!! I forgot today was already May 1st...the beginning of our Blog Me Maybe Blogfest. Doh. *blushes*

Perhaps it is because I live in Lola-La-La-Land...

Lola LaLa Land

Because...

no deadlines in Lola-Land

I get distracted by all the lovely shiny things...like new books...

BITTERBLUE is FINALLY in my hands!

And summer weather in spring...

wheeee!

Which makes Lola in Lola-Land very...

Holy...STOP!

Lola is about to be DISTRACTED!

*is distracted*

What was I talking about again?
Oh yeah, how I get distracted by all the marvelous and splendid things in this world, and forget all about things I'm supposed to do. Like silly blog posts.

Did I tell you that my sweet husband bought be one of these for my birthday?

And I can't stop typing little stories on her. (truth)

(some of the little typed stories have made their way to a few of you...because you deserved them for being so kind to me and my birthday.)

And, also, I've been distracted in my drafting cave, as some of you know.

So, in conclusion, I shall leave you with this on this first day of May:

Please, tell me, how have you been? What's been distracting YOU lately?

Love,
Lola

MAYbe I'll Stop Slacking

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:16:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

I know, I know, I know. I've been The Bad Lola. I've been a lousy blogger and, worse, a bad bloggy friend.

I'm sorry. I sincerely miss you.

My defense is: lack of time. I've been laser focused on my new WIP. Trust me, my kid and husband (and house and yard and friends...and hygiene) are ALL being neglected.

So, on that note, my good friend Sara McClung (who is ashamed because she 'only' has 12 posts for the year...uh, I can beat that. Try 3. Yeah. This post will make 4. I'm averaging one post a month.) (Saraboo, I win the Loser Award...by a landslide.), anyway, Sara came up with a delightful plan for May to get her blogging back on track.
And then she emailed a few of her friends to see if we wanted to do/host it with her. Most of us said YES. Including me.

And now we are inviting YOU to join us.

Here's the (easy and laid back) 411:

Blog Me MAYbe is a weekly blog format for the month of May, an easy schedule (see below) with topics built right in.
Of course, if posting every day sounds like too much, or if you miss a few days (I will), or only do a couple posts a week, no biggie. Blog Me MAYbe is all about ease and fun! NO PRESSURE.

You don’t have to worry about following every blogger who participates or commenting on everyone’s daily posts (though if you want to do that, feel free!).
The intent of Blog Me MAYbe isn’t to gain followers — although that could very well happen – but to branch out, make a few new friends, share information, and get into the habit of posting regularly and into the head space where ideas for blog posts flow freely.

Okay, the schedule:

Mondays: May I tell you something about writing?
- This can be anything writing-related. A post on craft. A post on your process. A snippet of your WIP, if you like to share. A book on craft that you want to recommend. Things you struggle with. Things you rock at. ANYTHING at all!
Tuesdays: May I tell you something about myself?
- Pretty self-explanatory… Share something about yourself that your followers might not know. Or, maybe they do. It doesn’t matter–this is just so people who read your blog can get to know you a little better.
Wednesdays: May I ask something about you?
- Ask your followers something about themselves.
Thursdays: May I tell you something about someone else?
- Make this post about someone else. A writing friend. A critique partner. A person from history who’s fascinating. A character from a book. Have a guest poster. Give an interview. Get creative, but let the spotlight shine on someone else!
Fridays: May I share something funny?
- Fridays = The start of the weekend… BOOYA! A reason to celebrate and laugh on its own — plus, who doesn’t want to see something amusing after a long week?

Fun, right?! I’m one of the hosts, as are: Sara, Cambria, Tracey, Jessica, Katy, Alexandra, and Alison.

You don't have to officially sign up (because we're chill like that), but if you want to, here's the Mr. Linky. (if mine doesn't work, Sara has a Mr. Linky.) We'd love for you to join us!

Blog Me MAYbe begins on the first of May, so check back here (or, visit any of the bloggers listed above) for more information.

Also, on a completely different note, THANK YOU to so many of you for the lovely birthday cards (<--I shall save them all, I love them so much.) and emails and texts and phone calls and tweets and FB posts wishing me a happy birthday. I feel so very blessed and grateful.

You made my birthday special. THANK YOU for being so marvelous... and in my life.

How is your April going? Your writing?

Love,
Lola

In Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:38:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

I am popping in here to share some MARVELOUS NEWS!!!

My talented friend, Cristin Terrill, went on sub recently and quickly went to auction (!) and this is what became of it (!!!):

from Publishers Weekly, Deals, week of 3/5/12

Disney Believes In ‘Yesterdays’ (Lola says: I DO TOO!)
In another major YA acquisition leading up to Bologna, Emily Meehan at Disney-Hyperion won North American rights at auction to Cristin Terrill’s debut, All Our Yesterdays. The YA book, which was sold by Diana Fox at Fox Literary, fetched an advance rumored to be in the six-figure range, and the book is scheduled for fall 2013. There is also strong interest in the title--Disney said it was pitched as “a cross between The Terminator and The Time Traveler’s Wife”--in Hollywood. The novel, given its comparative titles, unsurprisingly has a time travel element; it’s about two teenage girls, the wealthy and popular Marina and the impoverished (and imprisoned) Em, who are, in actuality, the same person.

I KNOW you want to hear the rest of her exciting story in her own words, and hear all about the book itself (which is really special) so please stop over to visit her blog. You'll be glad you did.

Love,
Lola

My Method Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

When I'm deep inside my drafting cave I often go into a 'method acting' mental place, whereby I am IN the world and AM the characters. Sometimes to the point of total immersion, wearing the clothes that the characters might wear, decorating my writing cave in a way that evokes the setting, and drinking and/or eating the kinds of food they'd be eating. I surround my space with tokens and images and languages and smells and sounds that ground me to my WIP's world. (needless to say, I have a uniquely odd collection of...random stuff.)

Music, in particular, inspires me.

(That moment when a song is so powerful it gives me goosebumps? Damn, I love that.)

Music helps me 'get in character', in the mood/mindset I need to sink into to write a particular scene. Especially the moody, sad scenes. I'm sure many of you do this, too.

I am always searching searching searching (these days, usually on Spotify. the 'related artists' feature is very useful.) for new songs. And I thought you might too.

And, since I am currently in drafting mode (a YA magical realism), I thought I'd share a few of the songs on my current repeat playlist.
Perhaps they will inspire you, as well.

**So, let me start by saying anything by Fink or Civil Twilight is a big YES for me.

Letters From The Sky by Civil Twilight:

In My Veins by Andrew Belle:

All This Could Have Been Yours by Shooter Jennings:

Cannonball by Damien Rice:

Breathe Me by Sia:

Yet by Switchfoot:

Okay, I'll stop now, because I could go on and on and on.

Oh, and because I think this is boss and I want it and hey, DMX, yo:

I'd love to hear about the songs inspire YOU the most.

**Please remember to buy songs responsibly, ethically, legally...the same way you wish your book(s) to be purchased.

Love,
Lola

"No days, perhaps, of all our childhood are ever so fully lived as those that we had regarded as not being lived at all; days spent wholly with a favorite book" ~Marcel Proust

Emerging

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

*crawls out of cave* *blink blinks* *eyes adjusting to the light*

How are all of you? How were your holidays?
I've missed you.
I've especially missed those of you who don't habit The Twitter. (I love The Twitter for its ease of popping in to say hello and/or responding to any @mentions quickly and then popping off. I can keep in touch with so many quickly, of which I am quite fond.)

Anyway, I'm sorry I have not been around the blogosphere in a very long time. (Thus, my missing you.) I long to know how you are, in what creative endeavors you are ensconced.

I've been rather isolated in my writing cave, drafting a new WiP. Honestly, I've done little else since the bustle of the holidays ended. This novel is beyond atmospheric (and a bit complicated) and I find it hard to leave its world without losing my groove.

I haven't even been reading. It's difficult for me to read when I'm deep into drafting a world like this.
(But I'd totally make an exception if someone wants to share an ARC of BITTERBLUE or FROI OF THE EXILES with me.) (was that not subtle?) (am I abusing parentheses again today?)

The few moments I have emerged from my cave it's been to spend time with my (neglected) family. They like me to make actual eye contact with them once in a while, so they tell me.

Truly, I hope you'll forgive my many and long absences of late.

Okay, your turn...tell me ALL The Things--> GO!

Love,
Lola

☆✩ Whobilation ✩☆

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:57:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Happy Holidays, my beautiful friends!

I'm sorry I've not been around lately (except for the briefest of pop-ins on The Twitter). I've been beyond busy, as I am sure you've been as well.

Still...
I have missed you.

book trees make me happy :)

So. I've been busy.

After completing Nano, I donned my elf hat and commenced with getting my badass festive on.

I finished all my Christmas decorating by the first week of December (I only did 5 trees this year, but still, I decorate THE ENTIRE HOUSE, inside and out, front and back, upstairs and down, bathrooms, hallways, bedrooms, even the garage.). And, last week I finished gift shopping and card writing and card sending! Not bad, yeah?

yes, this is our main tree this year.

Not everything is wrapped yet, but some things have made it under the tree (as you can see above). (true, more things in bags than wrapped, but hey, a girl needs time to party, too, right?)
(And there has been much partying on the weekends! And much more to come.)

Oh, that reminds me! This:

Lola's Grinch Punch

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons water
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
15 drops neon green food coloring
1 liter bottle lemon-lime soda, chilled
1 bottle of sparkling wine, chilled
2 cups of vodka, chilled
2 pints vanilla ice cream
Directions:
(do step 1 the night before)

1) In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved; remove from the heat. Stir in milk and extract. Transfer to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

2) Just before serving, transfer milk mixture to a punch bowl. Stir in the food coloring, soda, sparkling wine, and vodka. Top with scoops of ice cream. Serves: 15-20 drinks

Yesterday, whilst wrangling dust bunnies and pine needles in preparation for our up-coming Whoville Whobilation complete with Roast Beast (aka prime rib), I found myself doing what I oft do when doing such unfortunate chores:
losing myself in various nooks and crannies of my grey matter, pondering sundry thoughts of a meaningful and meaningless nature.

As my brain in December is wont to do, I began thinking about the last 12
months and my dreams for the next 12 months...

Man, I am blessed. However awful my childhood was, the universe sure made up for it. My little fam is healthy, happy and financially stable even in this economy. We've given generously to charities we feel passionate about, and I love that we are consistently able to do so.
The house is festive and sparkly, the liquor cabinet is well stocked, and Santa's bag is chock full of wish list goodies for all.
And, most important, our home is love-filled. Somehow my husband puts up with me and loves me. Like, LOVES me.

And, damn, I love him, too.

2012 is the year I will finally query.
FIVE novels and I've yet to query.
But, I felt no need to rush. I wanted to work on my craft. I wanted to let each story have the time to be told the way I wanted to tell it.

Finally, finally, finally, as of this month, my asthma is under control.
Oh, I need to pick up my refill of asthma meds at the CVS.
And maybe I should pick up another bottle of scotch, just in case. So many of our friends drink scotch. And vodka goes fast too.
I like vodka.
I love champagne.
Oh, I better get more champagne for New Year's Day.
NY's Day is also my husband's birthday.
Do I have enough gifts for his birthday? Yes, I think I do.
I always worry about that, because, you know, people with birthdays near Christmas always get gypped.

Then somewhere between scooping the cat box and rearranging faux snow around a tablescape, my thoughts took a random and weird turn, as thoughts often do...

I love my cat. Which makes me a cliche of a writer.
I really do love her though. But, dude, her cat box reeks.
And she's fat. Maybe if she ate less she'd make less stinky stuff.
She needs to get on that.

I wonder if that toad my husband accidentally weed-whacked (and we used cornstarch to stanch the bleeding before releasing) lived?

Did he make it back to his little toad abode and make toady love and toady tadpoles?

Man, I hope a hawk didn't swoop down and eat him.

I wonder if hawks think toads taste like chicken?

I really need to get a pedicure, this polish has been on since Halloween.

Silly dogs want to go outside again. I know they only want to go out so they can come back in therefore earning a treat. They've trained me well.

*lets them out*

*digs in box for two treats*

I bet these taste nasty. They look vile.

Then again, they eat 'treats' out of the cat box.

*gags a little*

Oh! I know the PERFECT way to kill that character! He will die choking on his own vomit. *thinks on how that fits into the plot better*

Plots are hard.

I hate reading books or watching movies and noticing gaping plot holes. I mean, I LOVE LOTRs, and have read and watched the movies a million times. But...

*loses concentration while noticing a HUGE dust bunny under the entertainment center*

I should write a story about killer dust bunnies that eat dogs who eat cat turds.

And, really, I wonder if that toad lived. I hope he did.

And so my thoughts go.

One minute you're scooping cat poop and the next you have a spark-- an idea waiting for you to wrap words around it, make it breathe, live. Suddenly you are scurrying for a pen and paper, or your laptop, the need to write urgent.

Twisty magic, that.

Note, this is my last post until after the new year. Thus, no matter the holiday(s) you celebrate, I wish you all the very merriest.

(saying 'merriest' reminds me of this beloved quote: "of all the Charlie Browns,
you're the Charlie Browniest." :)

I wish you much peace, happiness and love!

Love,
Lola

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:10:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!

To ALL of you, American and otherwise, I am sincerely grateful for YOU.

To those of you doing Nano and still aiming for your 50k, YOU CAN DO THIS. It's not too late to put up epic word counts and finish.

And for those of you/us who've crossed the finish line, CONGRATS!

Love,
Lola

Deep In It...and Winner Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

1) This is going to be a quickie because I'm deep deep DEEP into my Nano-WIP.

whooping!

2) Sorry this took so long (see #1), but I finally have a winner for Hilary Wagner's THE WHITE ASSASSIN (Book II of The NIGHTSHADE CHRONICLES)...
...

and the winner is... *drumroll*...

Claire Hennessy !!!

CONGRATS Claire!

(Claire, please email me your mailing address and I will send it out right away.)

3) The lovely Karen Hooper's debut book, Tangled Tides, is coming out later THIS MONTH! You can pre-order it (here). (I may have already ordered one :)

4) Because I think it's funny:

5) Thanks for putting up with my random posts posted randomly.

I hope this finds you healthy and happy.

Love,

Lola

NANO Prep Tips Lola-Style

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

So, today I thought I'd share how I prepare for NANOWRIMO.

Even if you aren't participating in Nano, some of these tips may still be helpful for you in carving out the sacred daily writing time we all need more of, especially when we have busy families and jobs and such.

I won't talk outlining-type prep work (because, HAHAHA! *wipes eyes*), but if you do want info on how-to-plot-for-Nano may I suggest the blog of the lovely Alexandra Sokoloff. In fact, she's been doing a series specifically on nano-prep-outining, but her entire blog is filled with plotting and structure tips.

My tips are also useful for when you are on deadline.

Before I commence with my tips, the most important thing to Nano-success, to ALL writing success, is COMMITMENT.

Okay, let's get on with it. Gird yourself...

Lola's Nano Preparation Tips:

1. Do a HUGE grocery shop this weekend. STOCK UP!

(3 dozen eggs, check. 5 loaves of bread in freezer, check. 10,088 frozen pizzas, check!) Stock up and utilize your freezer. If you are in charge of feeding a family, find some super easy crock pot recipes and stock up on those ingredient. Buy the veggies pre-cleaned and pre-cut, or do so yourself NOW.

While you are at it...

2. Stock up on your writing beverage of choice (coffee, soda, tea...whatever, AND the sugar and creamer you may need). Buy WAY more than a month's supply. Ditto for your favorite writing snack.

3. Have the local pizza (etc.) delivery on speed dial.

4. Get spouse/family/friends on board. You will need their support. (My husband will often bring home take-out dinner or take our daughter out for dinner and bring me home a meal...a meal which he quietly shoves under my writing cave door.)

If you're married with children, get your spouse to bring home dinners and help extra with the kids. (if you have little ones home with you, buy some new little toys, movies, books, crayons, etc. NOW, and whip them out when you need some quiet time. Consider hiring a teen/senior helper.)

Friends and family need to know that unless their hair is on fire, to please cheer you on SILENTLY from a distance (aka leave you alone!); chatty visits, phone calls/texts etc. will have to wait until December 1st. You will be sequestered, MIA. Hold them (and yourself) to it. (make sure you make it up to them later, by spending time with them and thanking them for their support.)

5. Spouses/significant others/roommates should be pre-warned that it is possible (probable!) that your personal hygiene and grooming will decline substantially during the month of November. (all the more reason they should LEAVE YOU ALONE with your computer ;)

(*sniff* do I reek? Yes? *rubs on more deodorant, shrugs, goes back to typing*) (where's that scrunchy that isn't all stretched out??)

(remember that shopping trip where you stocked up on supplies? Yeah, make sure you bought extra toothpaste, deodorant... and some cleansing wipes.)

6. Get your nails done and hair cut/colored NOW, pre-Nov., or be prepared to wait until Dec. 1st.

7. Preemptively CLEAN YOUR HOUSE and do ALL LAUNDRY like a mad person. START NOW.
Then every few days during Nov. try to zip through and whirl-wind clean the hot spots (kitchen, toilets, quick vacuum). If you live with someone, try to enlist their help to do more than their share and you'll make it up to them another month.

DO NOT HAVE/ALLOW ANYONE OVER in November. You won't have time to entertain them and likely the house will not be up to company standards.
Which leads me to...

8. DO NOT host THANKSGIVING (for those living in the States) at your house this year!! Go to your parents/in-laws/siblings/friends/restaurant. The amount of time it takes to clean for company, plan your menu, shop for the menu, cook, entertain, and then clean afterwards is death to your goal... not an option.

It's a wonderful day to spend with your family and friends you've been neglecting, so spend the day relaxing with them.
(And then get RIGHT BACK on track the next day! Make sure you family understands that Thanksgiving was a one-day hiatus and now you still have to finish out your month of hardcore writing. They can have lots of time with you in December.)

9. I make it my goal to write 2,000 words/day 6 days/week. The 7th day is for errands, chores and spending time with loved ones...preferably outside, in the fresh air and sunlight.

If I know I won't be making my goal (like Thanksgiving day, for instance), I 'bank' extra word count AHEAD of time. I will do 2,500-3,000/day for a few days before the day off.

I also try to do this (banking extra word count) a few times early in the month to have some 'savings in the bank' for a 'rainy day emergency', in case I get sick or something unexpected comes up.

(I mean, if I get a last minute invite to a front row at Incubus/Kings of Leon/etc. concert,, I'm not gonna say no. Duh. I'm gonna ditch that ms like 4 day old stanky fish.) (So bank as many extra words each day as you can!)

10. And this may be the most important tip: BACK UP YOUR WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! Have a plan NOW of how you will accomplish this. And have extra flash drives/hard drives ready now.

For those doing Nano this year, I know the Nano-site doesn't have the buddy list functioning yet (grrrrr!), but when they do, you can buddy me at:

the-sharp-pen

What are YOUR plans for November? If you are doing Nano, what are YOU doing to prepare?

Love,

Lola

Interview With Hilary Wagner & Signed ARC Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:32:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Behold...TWO posts in two days! (the devil must be ice skating)
I know, it's a Festivus Miracle.

Because today I bring you my interview with the lovely and delightful Hilary Wagner, author of the NIGHTSHADE CHRONICLES.

Last week the second book in the series, THE WHITE ASSASSIN was released.

THE WHITE ASSASSIN

About the THE WHITE ASSASSIN:
Book II in the Nightshade Chronicles begins three years after Juniper and his rebel band of rats liberate the Catacombs and defeat their oppressors.

A sense of peace has settled over Nightshade City, but it is a false one. Billycan, the white assassin, has been found. Deep in the southern swamps, he now rules a primitive horde of savage swamp rats eager to overrun Nightshade City and claim it for their king. With the help of an ancient colony of bats and an uneasy alliance with the swamp snakes, Juniper and his Council set out to thwart Billycan’s plans. When an old secret is revealed—one so shocking it shakes both Billycan and Juniper to the core—the fate of Nightshade City and the life of Juniper’s only son depend on Juniper’s decision: should he help his mortal enemy? The past resurfaces with devastating impact in this exciting sequel to Nightshade City, a dark tale of intrigue, deception, and betrayal.

Nightshade City, Book I of the Nightshade Chronicles is a CBC Best Book of 2011 and a Crystal Kite finalist.

Okay, let's have a little chat with Hilary, shall we?

Hi Hilary, it's lovely to have you here. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lola, thanks so much for having me! Hmmm...about myself, where do I begin? Here is the nutshell version: I was born in raised in Chicago. I love big cities, spending time with my husband and little ones, and I'm a bit of a reality TV junkie. I prefer museums to long walks on the beach, and I'm terrible with directions of any kind! My favorite foods are sushi, risotto, baked goods, and junk food galore. I freelance for National Geographic School Publishing and in my spare time I sleep! ;)

Oh, you know I'm happy to have you, love. (also, now I'm craving sushi) How did you come up with the idea for this series?

The Nightshade Chronicles was not an idea I had bouncing around in my head. It forced itself upon me and had to be written! Nightshade City (Book I) actually started as a picture book, but after writing the first page I realized it was far too creepy to be a picture book, so it instantly became a middle-grade novel and grew organically from there, one scene at a time.

Can you tell us about your journey to getting published?

Here is the short version. I received roughly 175 rejections on Nightshade City over the course of about 14 months (as you can imagine, it was a painful process), two offers of representation (I received one offer after I already signed with Marietta Zacker of Nancy Gallt). Marietta sold the book in about 7 weeks. It was very exciting that the sale moved so quickly after I was signed. It took me so long to find an agent. I was terrified when I went on submission that it was going to be the same long agonizing wait. And for those of you still on the agent hunt, never write off an agent you initially don't hear back from. From when I queried the Nancy Gallt agency, to when I got the offer, it took a good 8-9 months. It was a very long process, but a very rewarding one, so stay at it and keep querying!

An excellent example of hanging in there and NOT GIVING UP, Hilary.

Outline or Wing/Pants It? (If you do outline/plan, please share with us your outline/planning process.)

What is this strange and exotic word you speak of...outline?

What is your writing process like? Do you have a ritual? Do you listen to music while you write?

I have no ritual other than keeping the TV on in the background very, very low--just a murmur of voices. Dead silence makes me nuts! Sometimes I do like music, as long as it's instrumental and dark and stormy in nature. In other words, I would never be able to write to Justin Beiber! I'll write anywhere I can have my laptop out, from up in bed late at night, to my son's karate lessons! Have laptop, will travel--and write!

(Dude, that is the first time the name Justin Beiber has been mentioned on this blog.)

How do you balance writing with a full-time job and a busy family?

Actually, it sort of balances me! What's the expression, 'if you want something done ask a busy person to do it'? That really describes my life. It's very chaotic sometimes and I write when I can, usually very early or very late, but I manage to get it done. It's something I'm driven to do, and when you're that driven by something, you'll find the time. I mean really, who needs more than four hours of sleep a night anyway? ;)

I always say "we can sleep when we're dead". (it's 1:04am right now, as I write this post)

Tell us, what have you learned with regard to revisions?

That they are painful! No, just kidding...sort of! Nightshade City edits were relatively straightforward, and then came The White Assassin, which was anything but straightforward. Despite how tough the edits were, it was a valuable experience, which made me grow as a writer. Several scenes were cut, because my editor and I decided they'd be better in Book III, and several scenes were rewritten completely for that reason. Characters were added, taken away, and the plot was totally switched at one point. I'd say over half the book was rewritten in order to make it the very best it could be, and I would have rewritten the whole thing ten times over if necessary. Editing is tricky work, especially with a second book in a series, because it needs to be individually great, not just a nice continuance of Book I. My editor, Julie Amper, told me that and no matter how many books I write, I will never forget it. I've read second books that paled in comparison to the first, and I didn't want The White Assassin to fall into the "so-so" category. That was my biggest concern throughout the process.

What can we expect from you next?

I'll soon be starting edits with my editor on Goblin Shark Rising (Fall 2012). It's an undersea adventure that takes place in modern day Tokyo. As I'm sure you've guessed from the title the book involves goblin sharks (among others)! I'm thrilled about this novel. Not only will kids get to meet a lot of sharks and other mysterious sea creatures, but they'll get to discover Tokyo and learn about the Yōkai, a group of Japanese demons, ghosts, and monsters--very electrifying stuff! This book required loads of research, but so worth it!

Okay, that was fun, right?

Wanna have MORE FUN?

Perhaps you'd like to win a signed and doodled (by Hilary) copy of THE WHITE ASSASSIN! Because I'm giving one away. (International) Contest ends 10/27.

1) All you have to do to enter is follow my blog (can I see you happy avatar on my sidebar widget?) and leave a comment on this post. It's that simple.

2) Want extra entries? Also simple:

Go visit Hilary's blog and follow her-1

Tweet about this giveaway (@LolaSharp)-1
Follow me on Twitter-1
Follow Hilary on Twitter-1

Blog about it-2

Follow me on GoodReads-1

Follow Hilary on GoodReads-1

(please tally your points in my comments section and leave any links)

Good luck!

Love,

Lola

Busy Bees

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Sharp) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:18:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

Happy Monday. How are you?

1) I've been a very busy bee, bumbling and buzzing,

doing critiques for fellow writer friends, planning my next novel...

...getting ready for NANOWRIMO...

(FYI: I'll be doing a big post on Nano-ing on Friday...but even if you are not doing Nano this year, the post will talk a lot about carving sacred writing time out of our busy schedules.)

... taking care of my family (including PSATs and Homecoming, etc.), you know, LIFE.

2) Tomorrow (Tues. the 18th) I'll be giving away some ARCS (Advanced Reader Copies) and doing an author interview with the lovely Hilary Wagner on her writing process, to celebrate her sophomore book release.

3) I love Spotify .♪♫•*¨*•.♬ I love creating playlists for writing and life.

4) Last night season 2 of THIS came back!

5) Because, really, who doesn't love some good old fashioned zombie apocalypse fun?!

nom

6) I love this:

7) I

YOU.

8) Talk to me. How are you? How is your writing going? Are you MAKING time to write?

Love,

Lola