Official Book Launch Day!!

Well, folks, it's time! The Curse Girl officially launches today!!

* confetti and balloons fall from the sky, zombicorns dance, trumpets blare *

The book is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords!

Also, I have goodies!

The first 10 people to email me stating they are willing to write an honest review of the book will receive a free copy from either Amazon (Kindle book) or a coupon for a free download from Smashwords (whatever format you prefer, EPUB, PDF, etc). Scout's honor about the review, since I can't make you do it or anything. You can post that review anywhere, Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Goodreads, your blog ... I think Amazon is the biggest moneymaker in terms of sales for most ebook indies, but do whatever you like.

If you don't want to have to write a review or anything, but still want to do a good deed, feel free to pop over to Amazon and click "like" or click my book tags at the bottom of the page. This helps me somehow (increased visibility?) Here's a link to that page again. Remember, the zombicorns dance whenever someone clicks the like button.

Here's a summary of the book:

When her father tries to steal magic from the mysterious, beastly master of the "Curse House" outside her home town, seventeen-year-old Beauty is the one who becomes a prisoner. But Will isn't anything like she expected. He's the same age as she is, for one thing. He's also really handsome, contrary to local legend. 

Well, maybe the whole "beast" thing is meant to be metaphorical, because he's a total jerk.

Between the house's weird magic and Will's snobby attitude, the situation is nearly unbearable, and Beauty only wants to escape. But there are complications. The witch who cursed Will left him a riddle to solve and four years to figure it out. And now that Beauty's become a part of this messed up fairy tale, she'd better help Will figure out the riddle so they can break the curse, or she's going to remain a prisoner in the curse house too.

Because the four years are almost up . . .

Fireworks!

Also, Emily White has an interview and a giveaway featuring me on her blog today. Head over and check it out! You could win a free digital copy of The Curse Girl!

Setting Personal Goals

I love goals. I set all KINDS of them--"I will be showered and dressed before noon," for example, or "I will only spend X amount on ice cream cake this month."

Ice cream cake, while delicious, must be eaten in moderation.

Writing is no exception. Personally, I have tried a diverse assortment of goals when it comes to managing my creative output--some with success, some with not-so-awesome results.*

In one of my high school classes, we were taught about making goals (I believe it was health class specifically, which is weird, but ... whatever). I remember being told that you should have 3 types: 1) short term goals, 2) medium term goals, and 3) long term goals.

I absorbed this information like a good little student and have replicated it in my writing life. If you're like me, and goals help focus, motivate, and compel you, I would encourage you to set a few.

But what sort of goals should you make when it comes to writing?

Short term: 

This usually looks like "I will write 1k a day all summer" (*snort* because THAT happened, yeah...) or "I will spend X time each day writing instead of on twitter."

Medium term: 

For me this usually looks like "I will finish writing this book by August."

Long term:

"I will finish 4 WIPs this year." I really set this goal this year--whether or not I'm crazy, I'm not sure... (I have, however, completed 3 to date. I'm not holding out hope for the completion of that 4th one though!) This might sound super productive, but in reality I have about 8 WIPs in various stages of completion lying around at any one time. Finish, of course, means "complete the rough draft." Editing is a whole different animal.

I play lots of mind games with myself (an aspect of my ocd, I'm afraid) and for me, goals are mostly about suckering myself into expending some extra frantic effort for the singular consolation of achieving said goals. But hey, it can be very effective!

If you don't have any goals regarding your writing, I'd encourage you to make a few.

It could be as simple as "I will write every single day, even if it's just a sentence."

----------------------------------------------
* Once I set a short term goal (1 week) of writing 5k a day. It ALMOST KILLED ME. No, seriously. It was awful.

My Day Today ...

THIS ...

Mockingjay

PLUS THIS ...

Ice cream cake!!

PLUS THIS ...

Irritable kitty

I finished Mockingjay. Wow. Did anybody else read it? What did you think?

It's More Fun With Ice Cream

I know some days writing is about as rewarding as using a crap plastic spoon to chip servings out of a frozen gallon tub of ice cream. But keep at it! It’s like savings—put away a little bit each day/month/year, and over time you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve amassed.

And in keeping with the first metaphor—if you let the ice cream soften a little, it’s a lot easier to use that crappy little spoon to scoop it out.

This is not a tub of ice cream, but delicious ice cream cake. However, it still needs to soften.

I like to mull over ideas a bit before sitting down to write. Usually I have a playlist I listen to (typically it is music that either #1 embodies the themes and emotions of the work or #2 I heard a lot while I was writing and therefore it became associated in my mind with the piece, even if the song and the written bit have NOTHING that links them--#2 is the more common reason). Listening to music that I’ve associated with the WIP, or reading some of my favorite bits of the WIP, or even just reading a bit of a story that helped get my creative juices flowing in the first place—all of these things help me soften myself up creatively before writing.

I don’t always take my own advice. (Lazy writer!) But when I do, it seriously helps the words and ideas flow.