Pitch Wars 2015 Mentor Post!

HELLO WRITERS. LET ME LOVE YOU

 

-aka-

 

A NOT AT ALL CREEPY TITLE THAT JUST SAYS "YO, I'M A PITCH WARS MENTOR" IN A N EXCITING,  YET TASTEFUL MANNER

 

Hey there, Pitch Wars people!

 

 

I am so, so excited to be able to mentor again for Pitch Wars! I mentored last year, and got to meet some really rockin' people, and read some incredible stories. Pitch Wars is pretty near and dear to my heart, as contests go, because it wound up getting me a contract for my debut novel, NEVER NEVER, which comes out in *gulp* less than two months! I'm stoked to get to be a part of it again. ^_^

 

SO. Without further ado, let me try to convince you, stranger, why you want ME as your mentor.

 

SECTION 1: Hello, yes, let us discuss me.

 

Ok party people. A little about me.

 

 

((I am not Iron Man. But like, if I was, I wouldn't tell you, unless your were my Pitch Wars mentee, in which case probably I would. So, you know, do with that what you will. *slow, meaningful wink*))

 

The Bio: I live in Colorado (good to have a Colorado connection in case of zombie apocalypse. Zombies can't hack it out here) with my two boys and high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband. I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary, and my debut YA, NEVER NEVER, releases from Spencer Hill Press on September 22nd of this year. My next YA, HOW TO MAKE OUT, releases from Sky Pony press in Fall 2016.

 

I will give you in-depth critique, honesty, (but not brutal honesty; if you have to be brutal to be honest, I think you need to get it together. I'll tell you exactly what I think needs to be done, but also I'll gush over everything I love) and ideas on the big and little things in your book. My specialty is character and relationships, but I'll help you work out things like atmosphere and plot too, if that's what you need!

 

I've found some success entering contests in the past, so I'll bring that experience to the table. PLUS, if you sub to me, you will get feedback. I will be responding to anyone who subs me during the contest--some feedback might be a line, and some might be more in-depth, but you'll get it.

 

Cool?

 

Awesome.

 

ON TO MORE EXCITING THINGS!

 

Section 2: WISHLIST!!!

 

I'm mentoring YA this year, and I'll be looking for 2 thangs: fantasy and contemporary.

 

THINGS I WANT:

 

 

There are some things I love overall, no matter the genre. I LOVE:

 

GREAT relationships.

 

DIVERSITY.

 

PASSIONATE characters.

 

In Fantasy:

 

They say you never forget your first love. Mine was FANTASY. And man, am I in super love with fantasy right now. I'm looking for fantasy of the epic sort. Character-driven stuff is my preference. Wit, magic, epic adventure, I wants it all. (The only things that are not gonna be for me here are Urban Fantasy and fantasy that is really, secretly in its heart, Paranormal. I have super loved books in both these genres, but they're just not my area of expertise.) My tastes in fantasy run a tad darker, but I don't necessarily mean that I need a swamp of blood and bodies or anything to love it (though that's just fine with me). I just really want danger.

 

Things I Love in Fantasy (with Examples of Faves):

 

***Villains*** Oh man, I can't even TELL you how much I love villains. Antiheroes? Bread and buttah. And straight up, 100% villains--either as the protagonist or the antagonist I love to hate (OR ESPECIALLY A DARK AND SEXY VILLAIN I LOVE TO SHIP, even though  know it's doomed)...give this to me and I am YOURS.

 

Villains I Love: The Darkling (Shadow and Bone), The Jackal (Red Rising), Irial (Wicked Lovely), Loki (Avengers/Thor)

 

***Romance*** I don't necessarily NEED romance, but I'll tell you, I'd really, really, really like it. It doesn't need to be the A plot or anything, but if you can make me swoon, I AM HERE FOR THAT.

 

Ships I Will Ship Until The Day I Die: The Darkling/Alina (Shadow and Bone), Jon Snow/Ygritte (Game of Thrones), Alistair/ME (Dragon Age: Origins), Sharzhad/Khalid (Wrath and the Dawn)

 

***World-Building*** Ok so, world-building is not my greatest strength. I'm super easy on it for this reason. But an awesome world, especially with a COOOOL plot, will really make me sit up straighter.

 

Favorite Fantasy Worlds: The Wrath and the Dawn (Renee Ahdieh), Fire (Kristin Cashore), The Grisha Series (Leigh Bardugo)

 

I love atmosphere, and complicated relationships (See: The Raven Boys or Red Rising), and impossible situations, and unwinnable decisions, and tested loyality, and magic, and mystery, and love, and...*sigh* Fantasy Forever.

 

In Contemporary:

In contemporary *sigh of adoration for contemporary*, my tastes run the gamut. I love very light and funny all the way to dark and gritty. For me, the key here is that while the number one thing is your character, I really am looking, this year, for plot-driven stuff. Heavy on plot and/or higher concept is gonna be a massive plus for me! Genre-wise, give me rom-coms, thrillers, psychological horror, survival stories, geek fic...I love all of it.

 

--On the Lighter Side--

 

*Funny, awkward, cringe-worthy, embarrassing stories. YES, PLEASE.

*Romance! Not a MUST in all YA subs, but if your book is light/funny, I, like, 99% need romance.

*Fave stuff like this: Anna and the French Kiss, Easy A, Mean Girls, Simon vs. the Homosapiens' Agenda

 

--Middle of the Road--

 

*Gray, between dark and light, with HEART.

*Characters I fall in head-over-heels love with

*Fave stuff like this: Eleanor and Park, The Breakfast Club, Friday Night Lights

 

--The DARK Side--

 

*Very dark comedies, a la Fargo, Burn After Reading, Grosse Pointe Blank, Heathers, The Big Lebowski. 

*Dark and twisted antiheroes or flat-out villains. Oh my gosh. I LOVE VILLAINS. Send me ALL the villains. Like Breaking Bad.

*Psychological Thrillers, like Dangerous Girls.

*Less abuse/bullying/sad dark, more crazy WHAT JUST HAPPENED freaky dark.

*ATMOSPHERE: Something in a cool setting, like Lousiana in True Detective, or Alaska or something. LOVE.

 

I love contemp that makes me laugh, contemp that makes me EXPERIENCE, that freaks me out, that gets under my skin. I love geeks, and gamers, and killers, and the arts, and...I love it all. (And a little note: your book is very likely not going to be too gritty for me. As long as it's realistic, I DO NOT MIND language, sex, violence, whatever. But absolutely don't need it to love a book. Whatever is right for your story, basically, it's not gonna bother me.)

 

So I guess that's it!  Any questions at all, please let me know! Find me on Twitter and @ me @briannashrum and I'd love to answer your questions or just hang out and chat. :)

 

Let me be your:

 

 

(Yes. You inferred that correctly. Should we pair up as mentor/mentee, not only will we be polishing your book, but we will also be manufacturing and dealing large quantities of methamphetamine. Plan accordingly.)

 

HAPPY PITCH WARS!

 

 



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Domino Project Cover Reveal and GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys!! Today I am SO excited to get to reveal the cover for my awesome friend, KT Hanna's, book, Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) and it sounds incredible!!

*turns reins over to KT*

Chameleon (The Domino Project #1) is a YA futuristic science fiction story. It's set in the wasteland of earth after a meteor shower devastates landmasses, makes seas rise, introduces the psionic gene into the human race, damages the atmosphere, and gives the gift of an alien parasite to the world.

The goodreads blurb is as follows:

After Sai's newly awoken psionic power accidentally destroys her apartment complex, she’s thrown into an intensive training program. The only grades are pass or die.

Surviving means proving her continued existence isn't a mistake--a task her new mentor, Bastian, takes personally. Her abilities place her in the GNW Enforcer division, which partners her with Domino 12, who is eerily human for an alien-parasite and psionic hybrid. When her assassination duties are revealed, Sai understands the real reason for her training.

On a mission to dispatch a dangerous Exiled scientist, she uncovers truths she never thought possible. Sai is unsure who to trust as her next mission might be her last, and a double agent seems to be manipulating both sides.

Without further ado - here is the cover, by the amazingly talented S.P. McConnell.

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It's finally here

Isn't it GORGEOUS!?!?!

Sit back and bask in this for a moment.

It's available for preorder for a special price of $2.99

About the Author

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.

When she's not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, interns for a NYC Agency, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn't sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Note: Still searching for her Tardis

Celebration!

To celebrate, we're giving away 2 x $10 Amazon e-gift cards (open to anyone who can receive and use an Amazon e-card) Just click on as many options as you like and enter!

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COVER REVEAL for The Year of Lightning...And a giveaway!!!

Hey guysssss!

I know. You're all thinking, 'Wow, that Bri sure does blog consistently. Yes, "consistent." That's the word. Well, I DO come out of my inconsistent blogging cave when it's to have the opportunity to reveal the awesome cover for my friend, Ryan Dalton's book! (And it's pretttttyyyyyy.)

I'm not going to keep you waiting. Let's let Ryan do the talking. *sits back with popcorn*
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Hey, book fans! Don’t you hate it when you move to a new town and discover it’s being destroyed by freak lightning storms? Let me tell you, that makes for a tough year.

You’ll find that, and much more, in my debut YA novel THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING. I am completely in love with this cover and so excited to share it with you. After you drink in its awesomeness, keep scrolling down for a brief synopsis, plus a giveaway contest that you can participate in right here in the comments.

So, without further ado, here it is! Enjoy :)

The house has no doors. It’s been abandoned for decades. Yet one night, Malcolm sees a face in the window. Fifteen-year-old twins, Malcolm and Valentine Gilbert, never imagined an old house across the street could be so much trouble. A secret machine inside has woken up, and its power is growing.

Meanwhile, lightning storms are breaking out all over town. They’re getting worse every week and seem to enjoy striking kids who just want to pass science class and mind their own business. Lightning, however, is rarely cooperative—and when Malcolm and Valentine discover a connection between the house and the storms, their situation goes from mysterious to crazy stupid dangerous. As they hunt a powerful enemy, they’ll realize that lightning is only the beginning. Their town’s very existence hangs in the balance, and the only clues are written in the sky.

One huge way you can support authors is by pre-ordering their books. So if THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING sounds like fun to you, here is a link to the Amazon pre-order page.

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Lightning-Time-Shift-Trilogy/dp/1631630504/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430694555&sr=1-1&keywords=the+year+of+lightning

Now, onto the giveaway contest!

How would you fight a lightning storm? In one paragraph, tell us exactly how you’d do it, and don’t hold back! Get as crazy/silly/stupid/super-tough as you want. The sky is literally the limit. We’ll pick a winner from each participating blog, and I will send each winner a package containing an awesome secret clue to the central mystery in THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see the cover!

Ryan Dalton

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Isn't that cover gorgeous? *SERIOUS grabby hands* Thanks for stopping by, guys!

Pitch Wars Mentor Post!

OHAI I WANNA BE YOUR MENTOR!!!

-or-

Totally Professional Pitch Wars Mentor Bio/Wishlist

Hey, Pitch Wars 2014 peeps!

What. Is. Up. I am SO stoked for Pitch Wars this year. Pitch Wars is super close to my heart, mostly because this is the contest that got me my publishing contract for NEVER, NEVER with Spencer Hill Press. It's an amazing contest where you get to meet unbelievably awesome people, become part of a community, and get a real shot at finding an agent or editor. That rocks, right? And you probably already know that, which is why you're here. So let's get this thang started by me pimping myself out and telling you why you want ME to mentor you.

SECTION 1: YO! PICK ME! -or- Hello. My Resume.

So. The bio. I'm from Colorado, where I live with my husband, two little boys, and two awesome hound dogs. I am represented by the fabulous Bree Ogden of D4EO Literary, and my debut novel (did I mention that? Ya know? My Captain Hook POV Peter Pan retelling, NEVER, NEVER that you can coincidentally conveniently find out more about right HERE? Did I? Okay cool) is coming out in September of 2015 from Spencer Hill Press.

I taught writing classes for a couple years, and I'm in the middle of getting a bachelor's degree in Writing, so that's kinda fancy. Plus, I just started freelance editing, and I've been beta-ing and CP-ing for peeps for quite a while.

You want me if you want to get a DETAILED crit. I'm gonna go in-depth into your manuscript, and figure out where it shines (and I'll tell you everything I love. I love to freak out over amazingness in a manuscript), and where it could use work, on a major plot/character/world level as well as in the little things. My specialty is character and relationships, and I'm good at making those suckers deep. I'm also a total grammar freak, and will be going in looking for those things as well. I'm constructive, and I love to make you feel good about the things that are working in your ms, but I'm also a Candor, and I'm gonna tell you what needs to be done on a surface level as well as in-depth to get that MS in SHAPE.

I've been pretty successful in the past with contests; they are my bread and butter. So I'll be able to help you not only to get your ms shining, but also to sharpen that pitch.

Further, EVERYONE who submits to me is gonna get personal feedback. Might be in-depth, might be just a line or two, but you're gonna get feedback for sure.

Cool? Cool. Let's not talk about me anymore. Let's talk about BOOKS.

SECTION 2: WISHLIST, BABY! -or- Things I'd Like to Find in My Inbox

I'm mentoring YA and NA this year. There are a few things that transcend what I want in each genre, things I want to find no matter what:

*Passionate characters: I want characters that care about something, someone, characters with stakes.

*Give me diversity, guys! Of all types. Diversity is awesome and stuff.

*Did I mention characters? I want to care about your character. That's it. Make me care and we're good.

Now, down to the nitty gritty.

Let's talk about genres I want, then we'll break it down into some more specifics in separate category-wants.

GENRES I WANT:

*Realistic (And a million sub-genres of this): I'm into Contemp right now, in a major way. So I'm gonna prefer realistic stuff, generally. Within that big genre, I'll probably love a lot of stuff. Thrillers, straight-up contemp, psychological horror (character-driven), geek fic (yeah I just made that up, but I love ALL THINGS GEEKY), survival stories, retellings.

*Fantasy: I'm in a fantasy phase right now--I'm very much into it. But I AM going to be super picky here. I'll do fantasy if it's a retelling, magic realism or a VERY character-driven, close POV fantasy like Game of Thrones, Graceling, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Vicious, the show LOST, or a realistic fantasy/sci-fi like Jurassic Park or Outbreak or, ya know, that kind of stuff.

*Retellings: Hi, I'm Brianna, and I have a retelling problem. I love them hard.

GENRES I DON'T WANT:

* I love sci-fi. Like LOVE it. But for this particular contest, I'm not looking for it. (Unless it's barely sci-fi, as mentioned above.)

*No hard sci-fi OR fantasy, especially distant POV, dryer-voiced, etc.

*Paranormal

*Genre Mystery

*Light NA Contemp Romance

*Cancer stories (Personal issues. Can't do cancer stuff. If your story has a strong cancer A plot or subplot, PLEASE don't sub to me. If I decide to mentor your project, then figure out halfway through someone is dying of cancer or has recently and it's a big thing, I'm gonna be unhappy. And cry. And not in the way you want me to.)

Now, let's break it down further. Specifics by category and books/movies I love/would kill to see. Please remember, I am only mentoring YA and NA. If your ms is MG or Adult, awesome, but sub to one of the amazing MG or Adult mentors! Thanks!

YA

In YA, I love extremely dark to extremely light and everything in between. (I know. So helpful, right?)

In anything, dark to light, I love geek fic, foodie stuff, the arts, and travel/bucket list stories.

--On the Lighter Side--

*Funny, awkward, cringe-worthy, embarrassing stories. YES, PLEASE.

*Romance! Not a MUST in all YA subs, but if your book is light/funny, I, like, 99% need romance.

*Fave stuff like this: Easy A, Mean Girls, How to Love, anything Sarah Dessen, The Beginning of Everything

--Middle of the Road--

*Gray, between dark and light, with HEART.

*Characters I fall in head-over-heels love with

*Fave stuff like this: Eleanor and Park, Jellicoe Road, The Breakfast Club, Friday Night Lights

--The DARK Side--

*Very dark comedies, a la Fargo, Grosse Pointe Blank, Heathers, The Big Lebowski. 

*Dark and twisted antiheroes or flat-out villains. Oh my gosh. I LOVE VILLAINS. Send me ALL the villains. Like Breaking Bad.

*Psychological Thrillers, like Dangerous Girls.

*I don't care if there's romance or not. 

*Less abuse/bullying/sad dark, more crazy WHAT JUST HAPPENED freaky dark

NA

Most of what I want in NA is dark. Like, crazy killer dark rather than abuse, similar to YA. This list is gonna be similar. There is SOME light stuff I'd be VERY interested to see in NA though. 

--The Lighter Side--

*Geeks. Bring on the GEEKS. I play D and D, I cosplay, (you can find photo evidence of this on Twitter ;)) I game, bring me anything geeky and I will LOVE IT OK.

*Foodie Stuff. Especially in NA. Culinary school? UH YES.

*The Arts: Give me something set in film school, a dance company, an orchestra (I'm a musician, and have been in orchestras. I can totes help with this.), anything like that. (But oh man please film school.)

--THE DARK SIDE--

*Lots of repeats from the YA list to come here*

*Psychological horror/survival: Especially, like, something in an abandoned ski lodge or something. Or the wilderness.

*Give me screwed-up, disillusioned characters in dark situations, like True Detective. Freaking Rust Cohle. Freaking True Detective.

*Weird stuff. I want bizarre, dark, weird, awesome stuff.
*Stuff where the setting is crazy, atmospheric. Think Louisiana swamps, Alaska, that kind of thing.

*Very dark comedies, a la Fargo, Grosse Pointe Blank, Heathers, The Big Lebowski. Anything the Coen brother would do, I WANT THAT YESTERDAY.

*Dark and twisted antiheroes or flat-out villains. Oh my gosh. I LOVE VILLAINS. Send me ALL the villains. Breaking Bad kind of stuff? AW YISS.

SO, that's about it! Any questions at all, let me know! Find me on Twitter and @ me (@briannashrum) and I'd totally love to answer any questions you have! 

Let me be your 

Yes. I did just intend to subtly imply that if you pick me, you can become Darth Vader.

HAPPY PITCH WARS.

(Head here for more info on how to submit!)

And back to your previously scheduled programming. Or, ya know, bloghopping.

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GIVEAWAY in Honor of We Need Diverse Books

SO, have we all heard of "We Need Diverse Books?" Here. Let me link you if you haven't. Check it out, yo. http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/post/83943947418/we-need-diverse-books-campaign

Back? Excellent. Cause I want to give you free stuff. In honor of this campaign, on May 3rd, I will be buying a couple diverse books I have never read.

ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Benjamin Alire Saenz 

-and-

POINTE by Brandy Colbert.

So, I figured, I'll be reading these books for the first time, and I want YOU to read with me! I'll be picking 3 winners, and giving away ARISTOTLE AND DANTE to one, POINTE to another, and one of my favorite diverse books, OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu, to another. Sorry, international peeps. This giveaway is only for those residing in the U.S., because postage, and because I have no clue how to give away ebooks...Enter below and check back on May 3! #WeNeedDiverseBooks

ADDENDUM: If you are chosen to win a book you already have, you are welcome to choose a different one of the three to receive. For instance, if you are drawn to get OCD Love Story, but you already own it, I would be happy to get you Aristotle and Dante or Pointe instead. :)

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Can We Talk About Consent for a Second?

So. Let's talk about consent. Cool?


Just fyi, TRIGGER WARNING HERE.


This post is gonna deal with some frank stuff, involving sexual harrassment, assault, rape. So. Forewarning.

Still here? Okay. So, we've been teaching our toddler son about the idea of boundaries lately. Obviously not like, "Hey, 2 year old, you ever wanna make out with a girl and she says no, you back off, yo." Because that would make no sense whatsoever to a 2 (almost 3) year old. But about things that are like, "Kid, don't put your hand over my mouth. Don't jump on my back. Don't squish your baby brother's tummy until his innards beg for mercy."
"Awww, but why not?" he asks.
"Because," we tell him, "you need to ask before you put your hand over my mouth or jump on my back. You need to ask before you squish your small sibling with enthusiasm. We are people, and you ask, and when I say no, you say, 'Okay.'"
The two year old responded with, "I hafta ask before I put my hand on you mouf, move you arm, push you foot, or squeeze Baby Brother?"
Yup. Pretty much. My two-year-old gets it. So why can't the adults?

This whole thought process started with this stupid GoT Episode Seen Round the World. (GoT SPOILERS AHEAD.) I'm not gonna delve into it too deeply, because likely, you have heard of it. There are some fabulously written articles on it upon which I cannot improve. Basically though, after what was very obviously a rape scene in the show in every sense of the word, the director came out saying that it was, in fact, consensual...by the end.

Um. What? The justification here is that Cersei wraps her legs around the guy at one point (let's just forget about how she is saying NO the whole entire freaking time.)

So. Consent. Consent is NOT:

1) The word No. Even one no means....drumroll....no.
2) But s/he kissed me! Obvs. s/he wanted to bone! Nope. Still not consent. Someone can want to kiss a person one minute and change their mind the next. For any reason. Literally any reason is acceptable. Someone can not want to kiss someone for any reason at all and that's IT.
3) Being drunk. Listen. If someone is totally drunk (not talking a little buzz here. I am talking unable to consent.) and you are not, you don't get to sleep with them. Sorry. No sex for you. Deal.
4) GoT SPOILER------------Cersei freaking wrapping her legs around Jamie after he had already initiated sex without her consent.
5) Dressing in a provocative way....She was TOTES asking for it. Cause she was standing there with BOOBS. Don't. I can't even discuss this it's so unbelievably ridiculous.
6) Saying no, but you can tell s/he secretly wants it. Nope. Nopenopenope.

Consent is someone wanting to do whatever it is you want to do, being fully capable of consenting to it, and you mutually agreeing that, yes, this is something we are both into.

This stuff is important. I have read stats that say 1 in 4 or 1 in 6  (depending on the study) women experience some sort of sexual assault in their lifetime. I don't know the stats for men, but they do experience it too, fyi.

I have never experienced sexual assault. I have, however, experienced sexual harrassment. I have a very vivid memory of being 13 years old, fresh from homeschool, entering a public school in the middle of 8th grade. There was this one guy, also in the 8th grade, who was super hot. Popular, charming, on the football team...anyway, he started kind of paying attention to me. Flirting, winking, talking to lame, nerdy, wears-shirts-with-puppy-dogs-on-them ME. I was SO excited.

Then one day in this bio class, miracle of miracles, we were grouped together. He started talking with me all cute and charming with his bedroom eyes and bad-boy YA love interest lopsided smirk. SCREW BIOLOGY. I'm gonna flirt. WITH A BOY.

But then, the conversation got weird. He started talking about what I'd done with a boy (hint: nothing. Ever.), how I liked it, did I like them long and hard, did I like to go all night....a bunch of super vulgar stuff that got more and more vile the longer it went. When the conversation went there, I asked him to stop. To please be quiet. Then to shut up. (Something I never said. I was the most innocent 8th grader on the planet.) I may have even called him a dick. I don't know. What I do know is that the stuff he was saying to me was making me shake, scaring me, and that I made it as clear as I possibly could that he NEEDED to stop. Bad enough that the second he left the table his best friend and another boy at the table, eyes wide, looked over at me and said, "I am SO sorry. He isn't usually like this. But this is messed up. I'm really sorry," and when he got back and started in on me again, both of them told him to knock it off. He didn't.

I left the classroom. My best friend (who was a dude) was waiting outside my class, and I clearly remember walking up to him, trying to keep it cool, and saying, "Hey, man, I had the worst--" then just bursting into tears in the middle of the hallway. Like, weeping, gasping tears. I told him what happened and he was PISSED.  Rightfully.

I told my mom but begged her not to tell my dad because I didn't want Gary to get in trouble. (What the crap?) The next day, I walked to bio like I was walking the Green Mile, knowing I was in for another scary, vile hour, but he was packing up all his stuff and moving to a different class because he had been forced to switch out of mine. Mysterious.

I don't know, to this day, who told the teacher what happened. I suspect, though, that it was either my best friend or his. Whoever it was, THANK YOU FOREVER.

I should have told. I should have walked out. I didn't because he was hot and popular and cute, and I was the nerdy new girl. One of the only devoutly Christian people I knew, and what if I got made fun of for being lame? Too religious? Too conservative? Too sensitive? What if he thought I was a loser? Ugh, this is pissing me off just writing about it. 

I hope he learned that you can't just control people like that. Which, by the way, is what rape, sexual assault, harrassment, is about. It's not about sex. It's about domination and humiliation. What I dealt with that day was not even close to rape. It wasn't even physical. Girls get harrassed all the time. But even ifit wasn't physical, the root is the same. The guy got off on embarrassing me, scaring me, on putting me in a mostly powerless situation...I wasn't asking for it in my puppy shirt and too-flat hair and face with not enough makeup to cover my acne. Just like the girl who wears a short skirt and low cut top isn't asking for it. Just like the guy or girl who gets black-out drunk at a party isn't asking for it.

That harrasssment should not be normal. Should not be something nearly every girl experiences. A couple steps further, assault should.not be COMMON. 

People are PEOPLE, not objects to spout off your sexual fantasies to, or force into acting them out with you. And consent doesn't just  mean it "becomes consensual by the end." It is consensual from the beginning or IT. IS. ASSAULT. Always. Every time. The end.

So I'm calling it out. And by teaching my sons to respect people, respect their wishes, be considerate of other people's feelings, to ask permission before jumping on someone, to stop when someone says stop, I'm doing what  I can to make sure that girls aren't harrassed on the subway, on the sidewalk, in an 8th grade classroom, in a bedroom, and that when a non-consensual sex scene is shown on TV, whether or not it was rape is not a freaking question.

The Underdog Moments

Hey all!

It's been a while since I blogged. Life's been...a little crazy. BUT HI I MISSED YOU!



So today I've been thinking. There are a couple big, huge, remember-it-forever moments in an author's life. You get an agent, you get a book deal, you publish your first book. Those are the days all of Twitter explodes and gives you huge congrats and life is wonderful and all unicorns and rainbows and YAYYYYY! And whenever we get those moments, we should totes celebrate them. Cause they are HUGE and IMPORTANT and you should revel in your day.

But, ya know, I have always been a fan of the underdog. Who (apart from Barney Stinson) didn't root for Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid? I'm Team Damon in TVD because (apart from being Ian Somerhalder) he's the underdog. (Somehow, Ian Somerhalder is the underdog. I know. What?) And seriously if this moment from Rudy:



doesn't make you cry, you have no soul.

So tonight, I wanna talk about those moments. The Underdog Moments. The moments that mean everything but go unnoticed by most everyone, that don't come with cake and confetti and parties. But they are the moments that mean the world.

For me, as a writer, here are mine. (In chronological order, not order of importance)

1) When I first decided I wanted to write a book.

I remember vividly walking out of The Hunger Games movie, and going O_O OMIGOSH I HAVE THE BEST IDEA EVAR. And...you know what? I'm gonna freaking write it. Cause maybe it'll suck. But I CAN write a book and I am going to.

2) Finishing that book.

Yeah. Typing "The End" on that first book ever (or any book really) is huge. And so important. And it feels awesome. That, my friends, is a moment.

3) The first contest I ever made it into.

Sometimes, I miss entering contests. I mean, it's agonizing, but in a "Hurts So Good" kinda way. I've been rejected from contests, and that was lame. Really, just mustering up the courage to ENTER a contest is a moment. But this one is one I won't forget.

My first book was a YA cyberpunk called "Corrupted," and I entered into a couple contests, the first being Pitch Madness, held by the fabulous Brenda Drake. And Erica Chapman picked it out of the slush. And I will NEVER forget the feeling when I found I made it in. That someone liked my book. Erica, dude, thank you so much for making me believe in myself and giving me one of my best moments as a writer ever.

4) Giving my book to my first beta (now CP) ever...and she actually liked it

Ok peeps. I cannot stress the importance of CP's enough. For my first book, I didn't have any. So...gonna rewrite that sucker. But by my second, I had discovered them. And the lovely Nazarea Andrews offered to read my book. Never had anyone who wasn't A) related to me, or B)an agent I queried with Book #1 read anything I'd read. So that was freaking terrifying because she was awesome and OH NO WHAT IF I SUCK WHAT IF MY BOOK SUCKS WHAT IF SHE SAYS I SHOULD QUIT WRITING FOREVER




But, she said none of those things. Cause that's mean. In fact, she liked it. She had critiques, of course, but she really liked it. That. Meant. Something. Nazarea, I LURVE you.
 PSA: Get a CP. Get a beta, It's terrifying but worth every bit of the risk.

5) When I Tweavesdropped on someone who said I'd given them a book hangover

This was a huge one. Someone I hugely respect on Twitter beta'd my book, and talked about it to someone and used that phrase. And I died.

Summer, I can't even. Giant flying tackle hug cause you'll never know what that meant to me.

And last,

6) When someone wrote fanfic for my book

This one made me cry. Like real tears. Cause man. One of the best moments of my writing career. EVER.
Darci, -insert giant heart cause blogger won't let me write one-
Here's the thing.

It's easy sometimes to get caught up in someone else's published book, or deal, or agent news, or TV deal, or whatever. Or to read a bad review and wanna go drown in chocolate and wine. But sometimes, it's those little moments, those small things that meant EVERYTHING to you, that really matter. And sometimes, all you need is to remember that little tweet someone wrote about your book, or the fanfic or character sketch or...whatever those moments are for you, when you get into a funk, I hope you can remember them. Cause they mean something.

And keep giving, cause you never know when you might be giving someone one of their Underdog Moments.



I'd love to know what some of YOUR Underdog Moments are. Comment 'em below!