Author: Amy McNulty

Author of YA speculative fiction and cozy paranormal mysteries.
Posted in Writing

WIP Marathon 22

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:

YA SUSPENSE: 30,155 words, 10 chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC:

YA SUSPENSE:  53,965 words,  16 1/2 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: This is the first year I’ve tried NaNoWriMo that I lost. So even though I got more words done this month than I did the previous couple of months, I’ve been bummed about that. I’m losing the drive to finish this story. AGAIN. (This is my second attempt at it, with some major changes, and last time I petered out at about 50,000 words, too. Only last time I was stuck in the narrative and this time, I’m just bummed about it.)

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Sometimes even NaNoWriMo fails me. 😦

2. Even when I have an idea of where I’m going, it’s possible to lose interest in writing it.

3. Finding not one, but 2-3 similarities to a popular YA book in your WIP also helps make you less enthused about finishing it.

4. It’s hard to go from 100-500 words a day to 1700. (I managed for like 3 days and then just couldn’t do it anymore.)

What distracted me this month while writing: I went to Chicago (again ^^) one day early this month, but mostly I’ve been really busy with work. The time I do spend writing just isn’t that productive, either. But I have continued to work on it every single day, even if it’s only a few hundred words.

NOBODY’S LADY got an official release date: April 12, 2016, a few months earlier than expected!

I revealed the cover to my YA fantasy that’s going to someday be published with Patchwork Press! …And I started serializing it on Wattpad! It’s going to be a Wattpad-first novel with eventual ebook and paperback release in late 2016 or 2017. Click on the image to start reading today! 😀 Btw, this was my first WIP Marathon manuscript from back in 2013! *-*

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00007]

And I made a trailer for NOBODY’S GODDESS! That was actually a really fun distraction. I always wanted a trailer, even though I know they’re not the most effective marketing tools. I didn’t have the budget for one, so I made it myself. I had so much fun, I want to make one for FFFTT, but I really shouldn’t waste the time when I’m so busy. (See, I always want to do marketing stuff instead of draft when I’m unhappy with a draft’s progress!)

Goal for next month: I’m hoping I’ll finally get the edits for the second round of NOBODY’S LADY revisions this month. So I have to do that if so. Also, just to keep going with this YA suspense and not be tempted to move on to shiny new ideas. I have a feeling if I give up now, I won’t finish it at all. It’s not unsalvageable or anything, I just am not feeling the love….

 

Posted in News

FALL FAR FROM THE TREE Cover Reveal — and Announcement!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

I’m excited to reveal the cover for FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, my next YA fantasy, and also make a special announcement concerning its publication:

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00007]

(Thank you, Berto Designs, for the amazing design job!)

Add it to your Goodreads list!

Terror. Callousness. Denial. Rebellion. How the four teenage children of leaders in the duchy and the neighboring empire of Hanaobi choose to adapt to their nefarious parents’ whims is a matter of survival.

Rohesia, daughter of the duke, spends her days hunting “outsiders,” fugitives who’ve snuck onto her father’s island duchy. That she lives when even children who resemble her are subject to death hardens her heart to tackle the task.

Fastello is the son of the “king” of the raiders who steal from the rich and share with the poor. When aristocrats die in the raids, Fastello questions what his peoples’ increasingly wicked methods of survival have cost them.

An orphan raised by a convent of mothers, Cateline can think of no higher aim in life than to serve her religion, even if it means turning a blind eye to the suffering of other orphans under the mothers’ care.

Kojiro, new heir to the Hanaobi empire, must avenge his people against the “barbarians” who live in the duchy, terrified the empress, his own mother, might rather see him die than succeed.

When the paths of these four young adults cross, they must rely on one another for survival—but the love of even a malevolent guardian is hard to leave behind.

I’m trying something different with this novel. After seeing so much success with my YA short story collection, DROWNED SILENCE, on Wattpad, I’ve decided to make FALL FAR FROM THE TREE a Wattpad-first novel, serialized one chapter a week–starting today, and updating every Sunday evening! I consider it a YA fantasy, but it’s darker than my other books so far and I’ll publish it under the Fantasy category.

So yes, you can start reading it now!

Does this mean the book won’t be for sale?

It will! Just not for a while. Eventually, it will be released as both an e-book and a paperback through Patchwork Press. I just can’t say for certain when, due to a number of factors. I’m hoping in late 2016, but definitely by fall 2017.

Why would I buy it if you’re going to have it all up for free on Wattpad first?

Although the version going on Wattpad is professionally edited and I’m happy with it, the version published through Patchwork will go through another round of edits and the story could change. Plus, many readers prefer reading on their e-readers or having a paperback in their hands–or reading it all in one go instead of waiting week to week. Also, I’d really appreciate the support from readers so I can keep writing more books!

What about THE NEVER VEIL series (NOBODY’S GODDESS books 2 and 3)?

They’re still on track for publication in 2016 (April 12) and 2017 (first quarter) the traditional way, through bookstores online and brick-and-mortar. FALL FAR FROM THE TREE is not related to this series in any way.

Posted in Writing

WIP Marathon 21

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:

YA SUSPENSE: 15,706 words, 6 chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC:

YA SUSPENSE: 30,155 words, 10 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: Writing even when I don’t feel like it. (But I’ve kept my promise to myself and have written in the WIP every single day since I started in early September… Only most days I only write 100-200 words!)

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Tiny, short writing sessions still add up!

2. Tiny writing sessions aren’t that bad. I’ve always done better when I write more words per day, but writing just a few words is better than no words.

3. I can feel lukewarm about a manuscript while writing it. (I usually like it more than this… I mean, I DO like this one, but…)

4. Publishing is complicated

What distracted me this month while writing: I went to NYC for my NINTH time with my boyfriend! (+ Twice as a very young kid.) See my Instagram for pics from the Hunger Games exhibit (it was amazing *-*) and a book signing I went to. I also spent a day in Chicago earlier in the month. (We seem to go at least once a month now, don’t we?) Work, stress, etc. I’ve kept busy.

I also announced a new book I’m going to be releasing at some point…. FALL FAR FROM THE TREE! I’d appreciate it if you added it to your Goodreads page.

I started up a newsletter! Please sign up here! (First newsletter goes out tomorrow, so don’t miss out!) You get access to a deleted scene from an earlier shelved version of NOBODY’S GODDESS for signing up.

Wattpad “featured” my short story YA collection, DROWNED SILENCE, and it went from like 70 reads to over 14,000 in just a few weeks! Plus, the first story in the collection is Halloween-themed, so it’s the perfect read for today!

Goal for next month: I’m participating in NaNoWriMo for my third year! Add me if you haven’t already. (I think most of you have.)

NaNo-2015-Participant-Banner

I’m only sort of feeling it this time, though. But my goal is to add 50,000 words to the YA suspense (I’m not doing that other idea I mentioned last time)–but also not to be upset with myself if I don’t meet that goal.

I’m supposed to get the second round of edits for NOBODY’S LADY in November as well! So I’ll have to get that done if so.

I’m not sure where I am on edits for FALL FAR FROM THE TREE because some complications have arisen with publishing it…

Posted in News

My Next Book: FALL FAR FROM THE TREE

Posted on by Amy McNulty

While I know a number of you are anxiously awaiting the second book in the NEVER VEIL series (tentatively July 2016), I’m proud to announce I’m publishing another fantasy book soon with Patchwork Press!

Read my introduction here!

FALL FAR FROM THE TREE is a dark YA fantasy I like to think of as Marvel Comics’ Runaways meets Game of Thrones. It has four first-person POVs (crazy, I know) and weaves the story of four very different young adults, each raised by terrible people.

Add FALL FAR FROM THE TREE to your Goodreads to-read list!

Terror. Callousness. Denial. Rebellion. How the four teenage children of leaders in the duchy and the neighboring empire of Hanaobi choose to adapt to their nefarious parents’ whims is a matter of survival.

Rohesia, daughter of the duke, spends her days hunting “outsiders,” fugitives who’ve snuck onto her father’s island duchy. That she lives when even children who resemble her are subject to death hardens her heart to tackle the task.

Fastello is the son of the “king” of the raiders who steal from the rich and share with the poor. When aristocrats die in the raids, Fastello questions what his peoples’ increasingly wicked methods of survival have cost them.

An orphan raised by a convent of mothers, Cateline can think of no higher aim in life than to serve her religion, even if it means turning a blind eye to the suffering of other orphans under the mothers’ care.

Kojiro, new heir to the Hanaobi empire, must avenge his people against the “barbarians” who live in the duchy, terrified the empress, his own mother, might rather see him die than succeed.

When the paths of these four young adults cross, they must rely on one another for survival—but the love of even a malevolent guardian is hard to leave behind.

Posted in News

Team Orange: YA Scavenger Hunt Stop

Posted on by Amy McNulty

The Fall 2015 YASH is over! I’m going to leave Cecil’s bonus material up, though, since it’s pretty cool and needn’t be exclusive. 😀 Enjoy!

Orange Team

I’m hosting Cecil Castellucci, author of STAR WARS: MOVING TARGET A PRINCESS LEIA ADVENTURE. Moving_Target

Princess Leia returns for an all-new adventure in this thrilling upper middle grade novel. Set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, the story follows the warrior princess as she leads a ragtag group of rebels on a dangerous mission against the evil Galactic Empire. Hidden in the story are also hints and clues about the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making this a must-read for fans old and new.

cecil

Cecil Castellucci is the author of books and graphic novels for young adults including Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, First Day on Earth, The Year of the Beasts, Tin Star, Stone in the Sky, Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure and the Eisner-nominated Odd Duck. Her picture book, Grandma’s Gloves, won the California Book Award Gold Medal. Her short stories have been published in Strange Horizons, YARN, Tor.com, and various anthologies, including Teeth, After and Interfictions 2. She is the Children’s Correspondence Coordinator for The Rumpus, a two-time Macdowell Fellow and the founding YA Editor at the LA Review of Books. She lives in Los Angeles.

Cecil prepared some incredible treats for those of you on the hunt: Star Wars songs, including one she wrote and sung herself! (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡ What an amazingly talented individual! Here’s her message:

I couldn’t believe it when I was asked to be the one to write the new Princess Leia novel for the Journey to the Force Awakens Series. Moving Target takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which is such an interesting time for Princess Leia.  I’ve been a long time Star Wars fan ever since I saw Episode IV: A New Hope.  It’s the reason I became a writer!  Before I wrote books, I was in a band where I played under the name Nerdy Girl and Cecil Seaskull. (P.S. You can find my music on Spotify, iTunes and other streaming places.)  On my first album, I wrote a song about watching Star Wars for the first time. So here for you is my song Nerdy Girl by my band Nerdy Girl.  And to continue your nerdy enjoyment, I’ve made a little list of some other songs about Star Wars that I enjoy that I think you’ll enjoy!

May the Force Be With You!






As a special treat for visiting my site during YASH, I’m giving away an e-copy of NOBODY’S GODDESS through the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

Nobody's Goddess Cover

Click to enter Rafflecopter Giveaway

YASH World

Posted in Writing

WIP Marathon 20

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:

Nothing on a new YA suspense manuscript (Well… You can count the 20 chapters and 53,910 words I wrote during my first go at this manuscript back in 2012, but I’m doing a page one rewrite with different characters and a supernatural element removed so 70-80% of that will be scrapped.)

Current report WC + CC/ SC:

YA SUSPENSE: 15,706 words, 6 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: Setting myself up with unrealistic expectations. I’m probably in the minority of writers in that the first draft is my least favorite aspect of writing. I just get weighed down by the tens of thousands of words still ahead of me and wish I could finish a draft in 10 days every time. (I did it once! Of course, I wound up adding 30k in edits over the next few years, but still.) 5000 words a day for 10 days seems doable on paper… Ha, but it’s only rarely doable for me.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Drafting doesn’t always come easily for me. (Not really a new lesson!)

2. I’m strangely very interested in marketing my books after they’re out when I have a draft I should be working on–probably because I don’t want to draft.

3. I feel like I’m not a “real writer” if I don’t say that writing is my favorite part of being a writer (does that make sense?), but it’s not. I have moments where it’s amazing, but it usually feels like a chore until I get to editing and the excitement of hoping the manuscript has a future.

4. Publishing is slow.

What distracted me this month while writing: Not too much. I tried to work on the manuscript every day, even if just a few hundred words. I spent a day in Chicago earlier in the month and attended a local cartoonist’s fair, both of which were fun.

Goal for next month: I might be getting my 2nd round of edits for NOBODY’S LADY in October, so that’ll have to take priority, but naturally, I want to continue working on writing the YA SUSPENSE and I actually have to start a new idea soon, too. I’m going to NYC again for a week, so that’ll put a dent in my progress, as I’m usually too exhausted and busy to get much done while on vacation. I hope I don’t lose my (slow-going) momentum on the project if I take a break, though.

Oh, I’m participating in YASH again in early October with NOBODY’S GODDESS! Stop by to win prizes and play along. 😀

Posted in Uncategorized

Fall 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

YASH World

I’m happy to announce I’m participating in YASH again, this time as a member of Team Orange!

Orange Team

During the scavenger hunt, you’ll find an EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK of NEVER VEIL 2! (It’s called NOBODY’S LADY right now but that might change.)

orange

And look at all of the other fabulous authors participating in the event! Including Melissa Giorgio, my best friend and beta reader and author of THE FADING DUSK:

pinktealredpurplegreengoldblue

Posted in Uncategorized

Villain Squad — Penguin Teen — The Young Elites

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Mwa ha, meet the The Bad Book Be-ARC-hes!

M.'s avatarCherry Blossoms & Maple Syrup

Penguin Teen contacted me recently asking if I would like to join them by celebrating, uh, villains? YES VILLAINS. Embrace your inner demons.

vil·lain
ˈvilən/
noun
noun: villain; plural noun: villains
  1. 1.
    (in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.

Please press play and enjoy the hell out of this song while reading the rest of this post…

First I would like to thank Penguin Teen for sending me a paperback copy of The Young Elites. I’ve been wanting to read this book for some time but just never found the chance. So this seemed like the perfect one!

tye
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the…

View original post 896 more words

Posted in Writing

WIP Marathon 19

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count:

1. Short story: 10,003 words (second and final round completed; just waiting on a proofread/publisher approval)

2. NOBODY’S LADY (NEVER VEIL 2): 67,652 words, 28 chapters (working on first round of publisher revisions)

Current report WC + CC/ SC:

1. Short story: 10,037 words (proofread completed and turned in to publisher–no more edits?)

2. NOBODY’S LADY (NEVER VEIL 2): 70,747 words, 28 chapters (first round of revisions completed and turned in to publisher)

WIP Issues This Month: As usual, not finding time or brain power to work on my own writing. (My eyes are acting up lately, too.)

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. I love how new scenes added in revisions can really add depth to a manuscript.

2. It seems like revisions are never done (until all of a sudden, they are).

3. I’m very picky about being in the right “mood” to work on my own writing; I can’t have a ton of things on my to-do list.

4. Editing is more fun than business writing.

What distracted me this month while writing: I had a lot of work again this month, including editing a long manuscript for a client that took up every moment of my work time not devoted to the usual clients. (I also finished editing my friend’s manuscript right before then–I’ve been busy editing!) I didn’t know I’d have that client last time I updated, so there was no way I’d complete the goals I set then.

I did go to the local Renaissance Faire, as I tend to do once a year! I just love the ambiance. I was a little sad I decided not to waste any money on a trinket like I usually get, though, but I had good food.

I found out the publisher of my short story has delayed the publication until next year! And I think I’m done approving it, so I probably won’t mention it again… Until I can finally announce it.

Goal for next month: I’ll be done editing for the client by the time September starts, so I think I can finally devote some time to a new manuscript. Maybe. I haven’t worked on one in almost a year. I’m not expecting second round of revisions for NOBODY’S LADY (which will most likely have a new title in time, by the way!) until October.