Blog Roll!

Hi y'all! I've been tagged by the amazing Mary Pearson!

Mary is the award-winning author of The Jenna Fox Chronicles, one of my all-time favorite series. Gorgeous writing, mind-blowing premise, and characters to root for. Now Mary also has an incredible new book coming out called THE KISS OF DECEPTION. It's already receiving amazing (and starred!) reviews. 

Mary tagged me last week in a blog roll, where writers share a bit about how their writing process works. So here goes! (warning: you are about to peek inside my head) ;) 

1. WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

A sequel to NIL! Tentatively titled NIL UNLOCKED, the novel picks up on the island where NIL left off, although with a different character's POV. Told from veteran Rives' perspective, NIL UNLOCKED explores the island's secrets and history...and its future.:) Why does the island exist? Why do only teens make it to Nil? And why does each teen only get 365 days to escape, or die? And why risk falling in love if your time is short and nothing is guaranteed?


2. HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

I love this question! For me, it all comes down to the author's voice. Voice is what makes each book unique; it's what makes a book stand out. My books are character-driven with a Twilight Zone twist and heaps of feels, because I want the reader to yearn to linger in that world with my characters just a bit longer. 

I don't think NIL is easily classified (sic-fi? magical realism? sci-fi romance? YA with crossover appeal?) so that helps NIL stand on its own--rather like the island itself.:)

3. WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?

Because the characters that grab me refuse to let me go until I write their stories. I especially love writing YA, because of the firsts and the feels. The powerful nature of the firsts--first kiss, first broken heart, first time running from tigers lol--makes for equally powerful feels.


4. HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?

My books always start with an idea, an "what-if." For example, NIL began with the idea; "What if a girl woke up naked in a red rock lava field and had no clue where she was or how she got there?" After the initial idea, I start writing and the story flows from there. I'm a pantser all the way. After my first draft, I go back and fill in the holes until the entire story is smooth and polished and shinier than a Christmas tree.

The other part? Music. I listen to music from start to finish: during drafting, revising, and brainstorming. Sometimes it's the lyrics, sometimes it's the tunes, but music is critical for me as I write.:)

5. AND THE OTHER PART OF THIS QUESTION, HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS NOT WORK?

Honestly, sometimes I just get stuck. It's like a pothole in the drafting road, and for a few days I can't find my way out. The only way out, I've discovered, is to keep writing. I maybe not be writing the right words, but I won't know until I get the wrong words on paper, because if I don't have any words then I have nothing to work with. Also, music. Music has the power to pull me out of a writer's slump same for reading.:) 

Now I get to tag someone!

Tonya Kuper, you're it! :)

Tonya's debut novel, ANAMOLY (the first in the Schrodinger’s Consortium Series) comes out in November and holy cow, AMAZING. Like Mary who tagged me, Tonya writes sci-fi too, and ANAMOLY promises to keep you up late at night until the last page is turned. Plus, also like Mary, Tonya is a sweetie and I LUUURRVE her.:)

So go find out the sekrits behind Tonya's writing!!!:) 

xo

Lynne

Is NIL on your Summer TBR List?:) Now you can win it!

Today on the YA Valentines blog, the Vals are talking #summerreads….

We're sharing our favorite #summerreads and giving away sekrit summer scoop about our MCs. AND, we're giving away a copy of one of our books--your choice!

Hop over to the Vals' clubhouse and find out why the Vals books make the perfect books for your beach bag!!!:)

Oh, and NIL? (alert: shameless plug ahead :D) It's PERFECT for summer. Set on a mysterious island with a LOST vibe, it's full of shirtless hotties, gorgeous sunrises, and deadly animals   . . . and oh yeah, each character has exactly one year -- to escape, or die.

BOOM.

Join the #NILtribe this summer. I'll be rooting for you. :)

Happy Friday!!!

SILO . . . A YA read you don't want to miss. And it's FREE!!!

Ok, as y'all know, a few months ago I was blessed to be a part of the cover reveal for CREED, the keep-you-up-all-night debut from the amazing writing duo #TeamCleaver (also known as the VERY talented team made of Lindsay N. Currie and Trisha Leaver :D).

Here's the CREED cover just to refresh your memory:

Isn't is creeptastic?!

And check out the blurb:

Dee Langley is seventeen and mere months away from total freedom and a life where state social workers, counselors, and foster parents don’t dictate her every move. She has spent years trying to eke out a normal existence, hiding from her past and walking the tenuous line between denial and self-preservation. A weekend away with her boyfriend, Luke, and his brother, Mike, seems like the perfect opportunity to forget and start over. Little does Dee know that she's just trading one hell for another.

When an unexpected storm and a lack of gas force their car off the road, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves with no other choice but to wander into the nearby town of Purity Springs for help. But it’s not good Samaritans they find, but rather complete and utter silence, every store and every house abandoned. Forced to seek shelter in one of the deserted homes, they uncover a disturbing book with explicit instructions on how to correctly rear a child, complete with a hand written record of its use. It’s not until the next morning, however, that they discover the alarming truth – the town isn’t abandoned; it is populated by a deadly cult, and the leader, Elijah Hawkins, has plans for the three of them. The group’s only hope for survival lies in the hands of Elijah’s son, Joseph. But is Joseph really their ticket to freedom or is his game just as deadly as his father’s?

*shivers*

Ok, so here's the surprise today from Lindsay & Trisha . . . in their own words:

With the release date of CREED rapidly approaching, Lindsay and I have been fielding questions about what our co-authored voice sounds like, how psychologically twisted our collective mind is, and do I need to read all of your co-authored pieces with the lights on?
Rather than simply answer those questions, we thought we’d take it one step further and actually show you! We toyed with writing a prequel-type novella to set the stage for CREED, but you know us…why write a novella to CREED when you can give them entirely different book to enjoy!

After much discussion with our agents and an enthusiastic ‘go for it’ from our publisher, we have decided to utilize Wattpad to give the world a sneak peek at what they can expect from our co-authored voice. So here it is, a new, psychologically twisted, co-authored YA Thriller. 

“The darkness would’ve scared me years ago, but not anymore—if you couldn’t see it, then you didn’t know it was there to be afraid of.”~Jake Holloway, SILO 

Starting today, we will be sharing a chapter a week of our co-authored book, SILO, on Wattpad for the world to enjoy, hate, question our sanity, run screaming from… The last chapter of the book will drop the week of November 8th, the same week CREED releases!

So, go forth and be appropriately frightened as you realize just what our twisted minds of capable of. Spread the word, leave a comment on Wattpad or simply enjoy the book in the dark confines of your own home.

Link to SILO on Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/54090436-silo

AHHHH!!! Isn't this SILO free read the coolest?! For more info on the amazing writer duo, see below.:)

Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather irreverent dog. Her co-authored, YA Psychological Horror drops November 8, 2014 from FLUX. Her solo YA Contemporary, THE SECRETS WE KEEP, releases April, 28th 2015 from FSG/ Macmillan

www.trishaleaver.com 

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Lindsay lives in Chicago, Illinois with one incredibly patient hubby, three amazing kids and one adorable, but irreverent Bullmastiff named Sam. She graduated from Knox College in the heart of the Midwest and has been writing for as long as she can remember.

Today, Lindsay is an author, as well as a freelance editor for young adult, new adult and middle grade fiction. She is a proud member of SCBWI, The YA Scream Queens and OneFourKidLit.

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Happy reading!:)

xo

Lynne

NIL #Summerread Selfie Contest!

It's JUNE!!!! 

It's SUMMER!!! 

Which means it's time for epic reads.  And fierce reads. And summer reads!!! One of the best things about summer is reading…. especially on the beach.

Summer reads are THE BEST. (And I know I'm totally biased, but I think NIL is the perfect summer read.:D)

Want to know some of mine? 

DONE. :) 

Aren't they so pretty? *pets*

Contest alert! NIL love alert!

Tweet/email/instagram/FB a selfie of you holding NIL as your #summerread--make sure to tag me!--and you'll be automatically entered to in my NIL #Summerread Selfie contest! Winner will get a signed copy of NIL to keep or share, plus 2 of the books in the picture above. YOUR CHOICE.

Contest ends August 1.:)

xo

Lynne