WIPMarathon #9

Posted on October 25, 2014October 25, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 0 words (outline completed over two years ago, though)

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 23,897 words and 10 chapters in NEVER VEIL 3 (That “new WIP” I started over the summer is on hold for the foreseable future; I never could bring myself to finish the outline even.)

WIP Issues This Month: Not many! This was the first month I’ve done well in quite a while. I totally planned for November to be this big writing push since I wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but I knew the 50,000 words I was aiming for in that month wouldn’t be a first draft for NEVER VEIL 3, and I was tired of waiting to start. I finally convinced myself to start and so far it’s gone pretty quickly! I haven’t had days where I’m just staring at the page. Some days I struggle to turn off distractions and devote a block of my time to writing, though.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. You CAN get your writing mojo back, even after feeling like you never will.

2. Having a passion for your characters helps push you to write.

3. Going off-outline can lead to very interesting surprises.

4. Writing is fun! (I re-learned that.)

What distracted me this month while writing: Not too much. I had less client work, which isn’t a good thing for my pocketbook, even if it frees up more time for writing. I visited the David Bowie Is exhibit in Chicago mid-month, and that was fun. (See photos here.) Some GOOD things are happening “behind the scenes” this time as far as my books/writing/editing goes, but I can’t talk about them yet. Maybe by next check-in!

Goal for next month: Successfully complete NaNoWriMo! (But also, don’t feel bad if I can’t write that much. My friend pointed out at this rate, I probably will have written 50k in 30 days regardless, I just started earlier.) I hope that brings me to the end of a first draft for NEVER VEIL 3, but I can see it quite possibly not being enough words yet. (The conclusion is a long one!) Still, I’ll be a heck of a lot closer.

Many of you are already my buddies on NaNoWriMo (can’t wait to cheer you on if you’re participating this year!), but if you’re not, please add me! (Click the logo.)

Oh, also fellow WIPMarathoner Suzanne and I interviewed each other recently for the Month9Books blog! Keep an eye out for our announcement on Twitter whenever those interviews appear.

Geek Out, Reading

2014 NYC Books of Wonder Visit (Fierce Reads)

Posted on September 19, 2014September 26, 2014 by Amy McNulty

A year ago I posted about my first Books of Wonder event in New York City, and now I can post about my second. My boyfriend and I try to visit NYC every year to see some of his family. Coincidentally, my best friend Melissa Giorgio, whom I’ve known since before I even met my boyfriend, is a local, so I get to visit her each year, too! (We met through old-fashioned handwritten letters a long time ago, believe it or not. And we’re both writers who beta for one another.)

This year I was in NY in time for the Fierce Reads stop there. Like last year, I hadn’t read any books by any of the authors showcased, although Melissa and our mutual friend, book blogger and writer River, love a number of their books so I’m quite familiar with them. Ann Aguirre, Caragh M. O’Brien, Marie Rutkoski and Emmy Laybourne were there to discuss their books, writing in general and random, amusing trivia about them. All of the books seemed marvelous, but I limited myself to two paperbacks, which I got autographed. I love hearing YA authors speak. They’re always entertaining and have such great things to share about writing. If I’m ever lucky enough to give a talk about Nobody’s Goddess, I hope I can speak as well as they do!

Uncategorized

Sassy Summer Book Party!

Posted on August 4, 2014August 4, 2014 by Amy McNulty

A few days ago I was a guest on the Dragon Blog, which is hosted by the Sassy Sisters Melissa A. Petreshock (author of NA fantasy romance Fire of Stars and Dragons) and writer Jennifer Streck. Today I can tell you about their:

Sassy Summer Book Party!

I’m one of SIXTY-ONE authors who’s partying in the digital realm and donating a book. Whether you love YA, NA or adult/erotica, there’s a prize pack (or two or four) for you!

Since NOBODY’S GODDESS isn’t out yet, I donated (what else? ^^) THE SIGHT SEER, book one in the Silver Moon Saga, by Melissa Giorgio.

Win that and seven other books in this pack.

Stop by now through August 17th and tell your friends! Enter to win so many books or an Amazon gift card! 🙂

Reading

You get a cheap book! You get a cheap book! Everybody gets a cheap book!

Posted on July 13, 2014July 13, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Long-time readers (of this blog that’s hardly ever updated anymore) know I’m the beta reader and one of the biggest fangirls for Melissa Giorgio’s The Silver Moon Saga. Now it’s your turn to see what all the fuss is about because:

Writing

WIPMarathon Report #5

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 1. 67,566 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first draft done

2. 53,861 words and chapters still not quite relevant because I hadn’t fixed it the random scene-jumping I did toward the end (NaNoWriMo project)

3. (New WIP) wasn’t even an idea yet

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 1. 67,909 words and 28 chapters (NOBODY’S GODDESS 2)–first edit completed (I didn’t make a lot of changes, obviously)

2. 59,463 words and 20 chapters (NaNoWriMo project)–first draft and first edit complete

3. 3287 words and 1 1/2 chapters (New WIP)–it wasn’t going to be my next project, but it was one of those “shiny new ideas when busy writing and editing other things” situations

WIP Issues This Month: I had a pretty good writing month! After I moaned last month, I all of a sudden had a burst of inspiration and got so much done! The biggest problem I noticed while editing was incorrect tenses. Since #1 above is in past tense and #2 and #3 are in present, and I was writing and editing all of them, I kept subconsciously writing in the wrong tenses.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Typos happen, and sometimes you don’t even notice them while editing. It’s okay… Hopefully we notice them eventually!

2. Switching between tenses is hard.

3. A month off between finishing a draft and starting the edit seems to work quite well. (I usually jump in like a day or two later.)

4. The journey to publication won’t ever be as smooth as you hope, but you’ve got to keep trying!

What distracted me this month while writing: I’ve been busy with work and I saw a lot of movies. Also, my boyfriend and I played WAY too much Mario Kart 8. It’s addicting… 0_O I’m still querying FALL FAR FROM THE TREE; I’d taken some time off from it (just busy with other things) but decided to focus on it again this past week.

Goal for next month: My first task is to beta read for a friend. Once that’s done, and she’s beta read for me, I’m going to do another NOBODY’S GODDESS 2 edit, and then I’ll turn it in at the end of the month because it’s due August 1st. I’d also like to write an outline for the new WIP and try to write some more of it. I don’t think I’ll jump right into NOBODY’S GODDESS 3 because it’s not due until next summer, but I’m thinking about it.

News

The Soul Healer Release Day! (And There Are So Many E-books to Win!)

Posted on April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Those of you who have already read The Sight Seer and An Autumn Dream, books 1 and 1.5 in The Silver Moon Saga already probably know this, but The Silver Moon Saga is one of my favorite YA series of the past few years. But honestly, you guys might figure I’m biased, since my beta reader extraordinaire/best friend Melissa Giorgio wrote them, and I got to read them before anyone else.

Today is the day Silver Moon fans have been waiting for: Book 2 in the series, The Soul Healer, releases in Kindle e-book! (Paperbacks will follow shortly.)

Buy it now!

It’s been two months since Gabi Harkins first learned of demons and the mysterious hunters who battle them. After discovering a few unbelievable surprises about herself, she simply wants to settle into a normal routine that involves dating her boyfriend Rafe Fitzgerald, hanging out with her friends, and eating lots of dessert. But when her peaceful life is destroyed by the ultimate of betrayals, Gabi must rely on her wits—and a few new crazy friends—to survive her hardest challenges yet.

The sequel to The Sight Seer combines action, romance, and a healthy dose of humor as Gabi struggles to learn the truth about the secrets that surround her life.

To celebrate, Melissa and I are hosting a two-hour party tonight on Facebook from 6 pm to 8 pm US Eastern. Everyone is welcome to come, even if you can only drop by for a little bit. We’ll be giving away donated e-books from a number of lovely authors throughout the evening. I’m also donating a complete The Silver Moon Saga e-book set (well, the two books and one novella out so far!) myself. If you already have books 1 and/or 1.5, I’d be happy to send those to your friend’s Kindle while you just get the books you need if you like. We can create more fans together!

Click here to join the Facebook party!

Writing

WIPMarathon Report #2

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 40,127 words and 16 and a bit more chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 47,969 words and 20 chapters

WIP Issues This Month: I won’t lie–my progress over the past four weeks has been abysmal. I mean, any bit of progress is better than nothing, right? But I ought to have been much further along than this. Especially considering I had one really, really good day and wrote like half of what I did the whole month on that day. I’m not stuck–I have an outline and I’m trying to just finish a draft without thinking about the little problems with the story starting to nag at me (too much)–but writing has been a struggle lately. On the plus side, I’ve reached the point in the synopsis I’d been most looking forward to write, so maybe that’ll spur me forward.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Beating myself up over a small word count is counter-productive. (But I keep doing it anyway.)

2. I don’t always write first drafts quickly! (Well, I mean, I have some unfinished WIPs, but before this, the two manuscripts I’ve finished were drafted in under a couple of months.)

3. Years later (and with editors’ help) after drafting, I can still think of ways to improve my manuscripts. ^^

4. I have to keep going. I have to keep going….

What distracted me this month while writing: I got sick about halfway through the month–I was on antibiotics, but I was hardly so sick I wouldn’t be able write for days on end, but that’s what happened anyway. Blame it on my mood, I guess. I got some sad news on my writing-career front about the same time that I had to deal with and led to another task that took up a bit of my time this month, but I’m trying not to disclose too much.

Goal for next month: I actually have to put the WIP (Never Veil Series 2) aside! Well, I’ll keep working on it here and there as much as I can, but it’s second priority since I’m starting the first post-book-sale edits for Nobody’s Goddess (Never Veil Series 1, The Veiled Man’s Goddess’ new title) and they’re due at the end of the month. So my goal is to finish this round of edits and write more of the WIP, but I won’t be surprised if my word count hasn’t gone up much in a month’s time!

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s a sequel.

News

The Veiled Man’s Goddess New Title Reveal

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Amy McNulty

I’d be the first to admit that titles aren’t my strong suit. Or at least I never stumble upon the title for a project and think wholeheartedly “This is the perfect title!” like some writers do. (See The Sight Seer and the whole Silver Moon Saga for one such example.) I didn’t come up with a title for my Month9Books debut until after I wrote and edited the first draft. I think I was going for something akin to The French Lieutenant’s Woman (in that the woman/”goddess” is supposed to be focus, but you’re still also drawing attention to the man to whom she “belongs” in a way). And I liked the idea of a veiled man (he features prominently in the book) since when you think of veiled people, you usually think of veiled women, right?

Still, I knew something was off about it. It worked in a way, but it didn’t fit with YA titles I’ve seen before. Who’s this man (not even a “boy”) and what’s he doing in my YA book? And then there’s the slightly erotic overtones of a man + his goddess that I didn’t mean to convey. There’s plenty of romantic tension (and just plain tension) between the two, but they never stray into erotic territory in the draft.

When my agent took on the book, he warned the title would probably need to be changed if it sold, and he was right. So after quite a while of back and forth, with Jason and Month9Books publisher/editor Georgia McBride and I all tossing out many (many!) solid, lovely ideas that still didn’t quite fit, and even after Georgia asked her colleagues for feedback on a few of our top ideas, we decided to step back and re-think. Then Georgia came back with a suggestion from my new editor Lindsay Leggett from a line in my novel and it clicked. Georgia’s suggestion for the series title after that just fell into place. (And yes, I still have to come up with titles for books 2 and 3–I have titles, but they probably won’t stick, either–but that’s for another day!)

So what sold as The Veiled Man’s Goddess will now be known as:

Nobody’s Goddess

Book 1 in The Never Veil Series

What do you think? It makes a lot of sense (well, once you’ve read the book! She’s both “the veiled man’s” and “nobody’s” goddess in a way), and I think it’s better suited to YA. I got stuck because I was determined to fit “veil” in there somewhere (it’s such a lovely word), but we got it in the series name, so I’m happy!

And I just got my first round of edits! I’m excited about the suggestions and looking forward to shaping Nobody’s Goddess into the book I hope you all eventually read.

Writing

WIPMarathon Report #1

Posted on March 1, 2014March 1, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Last report wordcount + chapter count/scene count: 27,301 words and ten and a half chapters

Current report WC + CC/ SC: 40,127 words and 16 and a bit more chapters (ha, the last 2300 words were just last night, too, so… If I’d had more writing sessions like that one this month, I’d be further along!)

WIP Issues This Month: I never stalled entirely, but the scenes I’ve been working on this month have been less exciting to me than some of the stuff near the beginning or what’s to come. I’ve struggled to find both the time and the brain power to work. (When I’m too stressed or tired from work writing, it’s hard to get my brain into the fiction writing groove, even if I find the time!) I spent like a week on one scene writing 100 words at a time wondering what on earth was going on (characters were keeping secrets from my main character–and me!) until I finally cracked it.

Four things I learned this month in writing: 1. Even if it’s only small progress, progress is still progress. I may have wanted to get more words done this month, but somehow I at least managed to get this much done despite feeling overwhelmed.

2. Keep pushing through a scene and you’ll eventually crack it somehow.

3. Sometimes you have to write even if you don’t feel like you can because even 100 words a day is better than nothing. Even 100 words a week is better than nothing.

4. It’s not worth stressing myself out on days I can’t get many words done; it just makes me feel unaccomplished.

What distracted me this month while writing: Work, bitter cold temperatures (good for staying inside and writing a lot, though!), snow shoveling, reading, gaming, and everyday life. I’m also strangely into looking up True Detective theories.

Goal for next month: Keep going with this WIP! I want to finish as much more as possible. I need a first draft done within the next few months. I feel like I’m more than halfway there, though. Which potentially means there will be too few words this first draft, but we’ll see. I’m not worried about that yet–just getting through the plot.

Last 200 words: Can’t because it’s a sequel.

News

The Soul Healer by Melissa Giorgio Cover Reveal

Posted on February 27, 2014February 27, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Last month, I blogged about the news that book 2 in my bestie/beta reader Melissa Giorgio‘s Silver Moon Saga is due out April 11th. Today, we have the gorgeous cover reveal!

The sequel to The Sight Seer combines action, romance, and a healthy dose of humor as Gabi struggles to learn the truth about the secrets that surround her life.

Add The Soul Healer to your Goodreads to-read list now!

Melissa Giorgio is a native New Yorker who graduated from Queens College with a degree in English. She’s always dreamed of being a writer and has been creating stories (mostly in her head) since she was a little girl. Also an avid reader, Melissa loves to devour thick YA novels. When not reading or writing, she enjoys watching animated films, listening to music by her favorite Japanese boy band, or exploring Manhattan.

Isn’t the cover so lovely? The image perfectly brings the book to life, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!