Grown-Up Problems

Dearest readers,

I am secretly 12. Well, not really, but that's the the disclaimer I often find myself attaching to the everyday. If I didn't have a job, bills, and a dwindling metabolism, I assure you I'd be doing nothing but playing video games, building LEGO towers, and immersing myself in the fictional worlds I create while hunched over a keyboard. Life is hard at 23, and 24 is rapidly approaching.

This year, I traded a freelance career for a big-girl job with an Internet conglomerate, starting out as a coordinator in the content department then climbing my way into management. I love my big-girl job. I love the 9 to 5, the people I work with, the projects I'm working on, and how much I've grown as a writer and editor since taking the job. The only drawback is that it cuts into my personal writing time. I knew that would be an issue going into the grown-up world, but I've been forcing myself to dedicate at least half an hour to creative writing every day. Sometimes, all that comes out during that half hour is "blaaaaagh, I'm too tired for this nonsense," though, so some days are better than others.

That said, I'm buckling down -- I'm determined to have Book Number Two finished within the next three months. Given my current word count, that roughly translates to writing a minimum of 500 words/day. Totally doable now that I'm in crunch mode. I'm pushing to do closer to a minimum 800 words/day so I have ample time to edit within the 90-day period.

We'll see how this goes. During the final two-week haul for Zhukov's Dogs, my immune system kindly requested I go fuck myself and took a long holiday that ended with me in the hospital. I wasn't working full-time back then either, so I expect Book Number Two will likely kill me. When I'm gone, dearest readers, please use my tragic death as an excuse to buy more copies of my books.

As a closing thought: Book Number Two finally has a title! It will probably change, but for now, I'm calling it The Spark. It's a delightful blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and action that's neatly wrapped up in the New Age genre, and I can't wait to share it with you.

CATCH ME WHEN I FALL

It’s cover reveal day for Vicki Leigh’s CATCH ME WHEN I FALL! Lots of awesome stuff going on, including a giveaway! But first, here's a special message from Vicki:

And here's what CATCH ME WHEN I FALL is all about:

Recruited at his death to be a Protector of the Night, seventeen-year-old Daniel Graham has spent two-hundred years fighting Nightmares and guarding humans from the clawed, red-eyed creatures that feed off people’s fears. Each night, he risks his eternal life, having given up his chance at an afterlife when he chose to become a Protector. That doesn’t stop a burnt-out Daniel from risking daring maneuvers during each battle. He’s become one of the best, but he wants nothing more than to stop.

Then he’s given an assignment to watch over sixteen-year-old Kayla Bartlett, a clinically depressed patient in a psychiatric ward. Nightmares love a human with a tortured past. Yet, when they take a deep interest in her, appearing in unprecedented numbers, the job becomes more dangerous than any Daniel’s ever experienced. He fights ruthlessly to keep the Nightmares from overwhelming his team and Kayla. Soon, Daniel finds himself watching over Kayla during the day, drawn to why she’s different, and what it is about her that attracts the Nightmares. And him.

A vicious attack on Kayla forces Daniel to break the first Law and reveal his identity. Driven by his growing feelings for her, he whisks her away to Rome where others like him can keep her safe. Under their roof, the Protectors discover what Kayla is and why someone who can manipulate Nightmares has her in his sights. But before they can make a move, the Protectors are betrayed and Kayla is kidnapped. Daniel will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means giving up his immortality.

CATCH ME WHEN I FALL will be available on October 23, 2014 in both paperback and e-book formats from Curiosity Quills Press. For more information, visit the book’s Goodreads page.

Now, there can’t be a cover reveal without a giveaway, right? Lots of authors stopped by and donated some fantastic books to help Vicki celebrate. You don’t want to miss out on these! Here’s what you can win:

• An e-copy of CATCH ME WHEN I FALL by Vicki Leigh
• A submission package critique (query+synopsis+first chap) from Vicki Leigh
• An e-copy of HEIRS OF WAR by Mara Valderran
• Two query+first chapter critiques from YA author Emily Stanford
• A full manuscript critique from YA author Emily Stanford
• An e-copy of WITHOUT BLOODSHED by Matthew Graybosch
• A paperback of DESTRUCTION by Sharon Bayliss
• An e-copy of KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH by Katie Teller
• One query+first chapter critique from YA author Katie Teller
• An e-copy of DARKNESS WATCHING by Emma Adams
• A copy of DESCENDANT by Nichole Giles
• An e-copy package of EVER and EVADE by Jessa Russo
• A signed copy of DIVIDE by Jessa Russo
• A copy of UNHINGED by A.G. Howard

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win! All prizes will be accompanied by a Dreamcatcher swag package from Vicki Leigh.

Thanks for stopping by!

About Vicki:

Adopted at three-days-old by a construction worker and a stay-at-home mom, Vicki Leigh grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio where she learned to read by the age of four and considered being sent to her room for punishment as an opportunity to dive into another book. By the sixth grade, Vicki penned her first, full-length screenplay. If she couldn’t be a writer, Vicki would be a Hunter (think Dean and Sam Winchester) or a Jedi. Her favorite place on earth is Hogwarts (she refuses to believe it doesn’t exist), and her favorite dreams include solving cases alongside Sherlock Holmes.

Vicki is an editor for Curiosity Quills Press, a co-founder of The Writer Diaries, and is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

You can find Vicki at her website and blog and on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, and Goodreads.

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"Is It Even the Same Book?"

First-round revisions of ZHUKOV'S DOGS were sent back to my editor this morning at 4:30 a.m.

No, I do not sleep. Ever.

Unhealthy insomnia patterns aside, I want to share a story. Since my fiance has been working nights and I days, we rarely see each other. I've been waking up when he gets home around 7:00 a.m. so we can do breakfast/dinner, catch up on the last 24 hours of madness and walk the polar bears. When I mentioned my first-round of revisions were nearly complete he asked:

"Is it even the same book?"

At first I didn't understand, because of course it was the same book. He listed off a few of the revision requests I'd had since the original manuscript was completed, though, and that got me wondering. How much had changed?

I dug through my Zhukov folder (because I am one of those crazy ones that has a folder for everything, and each folder has multiple subfolders) for the original version. The oldest completed version I have is from May 14th, 2012. It was definitely completed at least a month prior to that, but I can't find a specific record. This original version is a modest 85K words in length, lacks two very significant characters, one very crucial plot point, and features multiple scenes that don't actually yield to the overarching story in a profound way. I really loved it at the time, though, and looking back on it makes me all nostalgic. It also helps me see what the fiance was getting at.

The first-round revisions I sent in this morning were more like the sixth-round. Prior to this revision, I hired a professional editor, had a publishing house request extensive revision, received a revision request from my now-agent, and received a minor revision request from my now-house's acquiring editor.

My point: a lot of work goes into a book. All the aforementioned people helped strengthen my book, brought in elements that made it something I can't wait to share with the world, and believed in me. Consider this my informal "thank you for helping me make the same book a billion times better" until the Acknowledgement page is printed.

Book Number Two

I hate to say there's an upside to my fiance working nights, but there kind of is. I always did my best writing in the evening hours. Now that Boeing is driving him like a brilliant slave between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. I'm making tons of progress on Book Number Two! It's a win-lose situation though. I'm thrilled with my word count and depressed by my lack of cuddles. Woe the life.

Speaking of Book Number Two (as it will henceforth be known until I come up with a better title), I have a question. Is it strange to know the exact ending of your novel 40K words before it happens?

Technically, I figured out the ending closer to 60K before it happens, which is just absurd to me. Anytime I've taken on a project of this size I've always had a general idea of where I wanted things to end, but as I've mentioned before, I am NOT a fan of outlining or setting things in stone. I prefer to let stories pan out in front of me with very little concrete framework. The story always seems to flow better that way. Plus, remaining lucid helps me step back and reassess the big question of "What's the worst thing I can do to my character right now?"

This time is different, though, and it bothers me!

Let me preface my frustration so I seem slightly less insane. Book Number Two is a first for me in more ways than one.

1. My main character is an adult with adult problems, not an older teen with adult problems.
2. My setting is 100% real. Modern day Seattle. Nothing fanciful. No floating kingdoms or underground cities.
3. My genre is mystery/sci-fi. Mystery. Yes. Serial killer, handsome detective, intrigue and the whole lot.

At a glance that sounds like a pretty straight-forward book, aside from that sneaky little sci-fi bit I slipped in at the end there. That's where things get interesting. I do not write straight-forward books. Remember that.

My main character is an adult with adult problems. He's also a witch doctor born to a family of practical surgeons, suffers from PTSD and sarcasm, and is a recovering addict who surrounds himself with organic/semi-illegal drugs on a daily basis.

My setting is 100% real. Seattle is my city and I love it, as does my main character. We both recognize its petals, thorns and oddities. Better yet, we're both eager to show off it's true colors -- not just the copious amounts of gray.

My genre is mystery/sci-fi. I'm loving it... except for the fact I know who the killer is (or is it killers?) how they did it, why they did it and who their next victims are. Ugh. I know, don't complain. I was the one who decided this would be a good idea. It is a good idea, a great one even, I just kind of wish I'd gotten to enjoy the mystery side of it all.

I've rambled long enough I think. Here, have the first sentence of Book Number Two as a thank-you-for-listening.

Some men spent their Saturday mornings reading the paper, lazing about in their shorts as they debated whether or not the lawn could go another week without mowing—others spent it hacking their way out of a giant iguana's small intestine.

It's Official

...Well, technically it's been official for nearly two months and I'm just terrible at blogging.

I'm getting published!!! (too many exclamation points, I know Kimberley)

My debut novel, ZHUKOV'S DOGS, was taken in by Curiosity Quills Press on January 22nd, 2014. Since then I've completed first-round revisions, graphics sheets, marketing plans and created an official author Facebook page. Currently I'm waiting to hear back about revisions to see if more are necessary or if we can move forward with the new version. There were no major changes to the original manuscript, merely mention of something important slightly earlier to prevent too extreme of a 'huh, what?' moment at the end.

Now then, I must be off to sleep because I've recently taken on a grown up job that requires me to be up by 8 a.m. five days a week. Yaaaaaay. Check back tomorrow for details about Book #2. Here's a hint: witch doctor.

The Non-Exclusive Relationship

Taking a break from holiday madness to address every writer's dirty little secret.

Indecision.

It happens a lot. Or does it? I can't decide. You know when you're super pumped about an idea and spend forever working only to one day wake up, turn on your laptop and go 'meh'? That sort of situation typically gets lumped in with traditional writer's block, brushed off as a phase we're bound to grow out of if we work at it hard enough or give it time to breathe.

That doesn't always solve the problem. Sometimes it takes months to get back the same drive you once had for a project, sometimes it doesn't come back at all. If you find yourself hating your work and hating yourself for not being able to work though what you're convince is just a rough patch, drop everything and try something new.

When we fall out of love it's because something is wrong with the relationship; the same can be said for a novel. It's missing something, something you crave but might not be able to pinpoint or give name to quite yet. And what do we do when we fall out of love? We wallow in self-loathing for a while only to shake it off, get dressed up and set out on a mission to find something better.

You don't need to worry about what went wrong with your project (or relationship), just leave it on the back burner and try something new. Maybe it'll come back to you, maybe you'll find something better, maybe you'll go through seven more 'meh' projects before you settle on one which really, really keeps your interest.

I've said it before: writers have unlimited options. Being able to create anything, anyone, anytime is awesome. With that kind of potential though, it can be hard to settle down. 70K+ words surrounding the same little universe is a big commitment that doesn't have to be exclusive. Enjoy indecision. Enjoy 'meh' moments along the way, your novel doesn't mind.

"I'm not gay. Nope. Not a man either. Good observation."

I can't tell you how many time I've had to say those words over the years. There was a time I kept my lips sealed tight about my writing, back when I was afraid people would ask me the now infamous "What do you write about?" question. I even skirted around the truth the first couple of times I pitched to agents because I worried the truth would scare them off.

Over the last three years, though, I've stopped giving a flying flip. I flip my hair, smile and say "Oh, I write about tyrannical post-apocalyptic societies where the world's frozen over and desensitized teenage boys come to terms with their homosexuality." I say it clearly and proudly (or slur it out loudly in a martini glass depending on the day). There's always that blank processing stare at first. It's one heavy mouthful of a description so I give them a second to roll it around in their heads. Finally they process the word 'boys' half an instant before 'homosexuality'.

From there the conversation can go either way. Sometimes it's given a "Wow, that sounds pretty epic," with a small, genuine laugh. Sometimes, though, it's given raised eyebrows and a "You write about gay guys?" It happens. People get so hung up on that they don't even acknowledge the rest of what I've told them. It doesn't matter that I built an underground world, wired it with life and unleashed chaos into the streets--not when there's a controversial main character we can talk about instead.

I know it's unusual what I do, but sometimes I feel like people would be less surprised if I were to tell them that I wrote a book from the perspective of water cooler. My friend Quinne once suggested using a male pen name for my work. She's lucky I love her. I'm too proud of my work to not put my name on it. Still, though, the redundant line of questions gets a little frustrating.

The gay YA genre is a small, but growing. If you go into the Young Adult section at Barnes & Noble it's virtually impossible to find books featuring a homosexual main character. If you go into the Gay & Lesbian section it's virtually impossible to find anything that isn't porn. My genre is lost somewhere between the porn and the sparkly vampires. Well, maybe not lost. Just really good at hide-and-seek.

Self-portrait on back of an envelope. "#gayYAproblems".

I'm incredibly proud to be a part of that in-between genre. It has so much untapped potential just waiting for open minds and eager readers. It doesn't matter if I'm gay, straight or water cooler. I have a story to tell and it's a damn good one.