Interview and Book Giveaway: Jeanne Ryan and NERVE

It is my pleasure to bring you this interview of Jeanne Ryan. Not only does this book have the coolest cover, but it's one of those stories I devoured without stopping. Leave a comment to enter to win a copy and please spread the word about this gripping debut novel. I'll announce the winner here on February 8th.

Jeanne Ryan is the author of NERVE, a young-adult thriller published by Dial/Penguin in September 2012. School Library Journal said, “Ryan questions the nature of entertainment and explores the concept of privacy in a world of increasingly sophisticated social media. Teens will find themselves drawn in by the story's possibilities, and unNERVEd by its outcome. Give this to Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games fans.”  It was included on the LA Times Fall 2012 roundup of young adult fiction and will soon be released in six foreign editions.

On Writing:

Favorite thing about writing a first draft: The possibility. At this stage, your book can be ANYTHING, and live up to the brilliant story you see in your head. J As the words flow and the story grows, the reality is that those first-drafty words won’t be brilliant, but, still, there are surprises at every turn and that’s exciting too.

Best thing about writing for kids and/or teens: The exhilaration of re-imagining all those “firsts”.

Favorite word? :  Yes!

One word that describes your path to publication: Dogged.

If I could have two dream careers, I’d be an author and a: Film director.

On Life:

If I could snap my fingers and solve one of the problems here on earth, it would be: An end to violence in all forms.

One question I wish I had a definitive answer to: The nature of God.

Best thing about being a child: Letting yourself fully enjoy the moment without worrying about the past or future.

Worst thing about being a child: The lack of power.

Best thing about being a teenager: The deliciousness of so much yearning.

Worst thing about being a teenager: The frustration of so much yearning.

Most memorable teen moment: I can’t think of an individual moment, but the most memorable experience was moving from Seoul to Detroit in ninth grade. I felt like a total alien.

One thing I’d like to say to my teen self: So, you wanna be a writer? Start writing!

A quote I live by: If not now, when?

My dream vacation:  Hawaii, with no itinerary.

In My Perfect World…

Everyone would get appreciated and a sense of fulfillment at least once a week.

There would be an abundance of opportunity and hope.

No one would be deprived of love.

Every child would have love.

No one would ever feel scared.

Peace would be free for everyone.

Visit Jeanne's Website

#WIPMADNESS Week 4 Check-In--Celebrate Yourself

"I celebrate myself, and sing myself."

Walt Whitman

So here we are at the end of the month. How did you do? I accomplished many necessary things--mountains of paperwork and other unnerving stuff, but it's done. The mind is making space for a new month. A new beginning. But first, let's deal with these exciting bits:

#1 Please stop by here again on Wednesday to cheer on our own Jeanne Ryan by reading an interview and commenting for a chance to read her debut novel--NERVE. You don't want to miss this opportunity!

#2 I will be making a big, giant announcement here on Friday and there will be more prizes!

#3 The winner of last week's musical prize is:  SHARI GREEN (please email me your address) 

#4 February's #wipmadness host is L.S. Taylor. Check-in here on Monday.


This week I will celebrate myself and sing myself. How about you? What does that mean to you as a writer?

#WIPMADNESS Week 3--Check In--Perseverance

"Perseverance, secret of all triumphs."

Victor Hugo 

San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff, Arizona

Do your writing and publishing goals sometimes seem as lofty and hard to surmount as my beloved San Francisco Peaks (elevation 12,633 feet)? If so, don't lose hope. 

How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time. So while you keep your eyes on the summit, take little steps each day and eventually you'll reach the top. It may take a very long time, but just imagine the view!

This week I was able to make a wee bit of progress on my WIP despite a herniated disk and the continued energy-sucking drama in my life. And I am working on how to go about making a big announcement at the end of this month. Tease. Tease. Tease. 

And let me not forget to announce the winner of last week's musical prize:

Charlie Holmberg

Please email me your mailing address: yascribe(dot)angelina(at)gmail(dot)com

So Wipsters, what small goals have you reached this week?

The Most Interesting Thing: Solitude

"I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude."

Henry David Thoreau

Solitude

Sometimes scares me

Alone and afraid

Solitude

Sometimes frees me

Awake and alive

Solitude

A hideous curse

Solitude

A precious gift

Solitude

Creativity and solitude are inexorably bound in my soul. A fine balance. Too little solitude and my creative spirit withers. Too much solitude and that same spirit grows restless. Solitude brings clarity. But solitude can also breed insanity. Solitude. Friend or foe? For me, it's both.

What are your thoughts on solitude?

#WIPMADNESS 2013--Week 2 Check-In

WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S #WIPMADNESS!

The view from my favorite spot at my library

How'd things go this week? Despite a week of horrific turmoil, I was able to work on my WIP  and I'm quite happy about that. Writing through adversity. That's my theme this month.

Now, for a brief announcement:
Our dear #wipmadness founder would like you to read this important announcement about our up and coming March Madness.

And did y'all see the vlog of our own Jaye Robin Brown signing her book contract? WOOHOO!!!

And finally, I'd like to congratulate (or apologize) to our dear LS Taylor who is the first victim, I mean winner, of this month's special musical prize. Please DM me on Twitter with your mailing address, LS, okay?  ^_^

So Wipsters, what adversity did you overcome this week to work on that WIP?

The Most Interesting Thing: Struggle=> Progress

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."--Frederick Douglass

Are any of you struggling with a first draft? Struggling with revisions? Struggling to get an agent? Struggling to get a book published? Don't give up hope! You are making progress! Don't give up the struggle!

That is all.

Tell me about your writerly struggles. I'm listening.

Welcome to WIPMADNESS 2013 Week 1 Check-In

Welcome to the 2013 WIPMADNESS!

Are we excited?

I’m excited.

Good things are happening amongst the Wipsters this year. Some of us have books coming out, some hope to have books coming out, and some of us are writing books that will be sold and will come out!

Now I’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to a new follower who posted the most awesome review of my blog here. Welcome DaniDuck! I hope she’ll hang out with us Wipsters.

This month I’m going to do some author interviews and book giveaways, but for my special WIPMADNESS peeps, each week I’m going to send one of you commenters something very personal, something I rarely share.

Here’s a hint: ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

So now let’s get down to business. This month’s goals. I have two writing related goals this month. One is to plow ahead with the revisions of a couple of YA novels, one contemp and one historical. And I have another exciting writerly goal. It has to do with SCBWI and it has to do with a Northern Arizona network. That’s all I’m saying for now.

So, Wipsters, what are ya’ll gonna accomplish this month?

The Most Important Thing: Destroying your Work

"Put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it." - Colette

We know the expression, "killing your darlings" but do you agree with Colette that an author can, without pity, destroy most of one's own stuff?

I wipe out a lot of my writing on a regular basis, but I never feel like it's truly destroyed since it merely lies dormant in an electronic file. Yet there's something cathartic about assigning entire sentences, paragraphs, chapters, or novels, to the figurative flame. I know many of you have trashed entire novels and started again. I have. And I've never regretted it.

This month I'm diving back into revision and I will be on a path of destruction. Who's with me?