Summer Blog Contest #1 Winner

First I'd like to thank you all who entered. I greatly enjoyed your summer reading lists and will totally be stealing a few of them for my own list.

The winner of my first blog contest is: JANNETTE FULLER

Congrats Jannette, you can expect your Amazon gift card in your email shortly. And check out her summer reading list:

1. Beautiful Darkness by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
2. Ghost Girl Homecoming by: Tonya Hurley
3. Halo by: Alexandra Ardnetto
4. Spells by: Aprilynn Pike
5. Torment by: Lauren Kate
6. Passion by: Lauren Kate
7. Angel Creek by: Sally Rippin
8. Hourglass by: Myra McEntire
9. Delirium by: Lauren Oliver
10. Cresendo by: Becca Fitzpatrick
11. Sister Red Red by: Jackson Pearce
12. Sweetly by: Jackson Pearce

~Jannette~

Now that you're all following me, be sure to check back. I'll be having blog contests all summer long.

Summer Contest #1 (Starts 6/17/11)

Yay! Are you excited? I know I am. There two things I love writing and giving stuff away. So I'm super pumped for my first ever blog contest and to kick the summer off right I have decided to help fund your summer reading list.

We all have the Amazon Wishlist's right. Mine is chocked full of YA novels I can't wait to read. So here's your chance to hit checkout on me.

My Summer Reading List includes:

Vision (Volume 1)-Beth Elisa Harris

Possession-Elana Johnson

Illusions-Aprilynne Pike

Starcrossed-Josephine Angelini

The DUFF-Kody Keplinger

Passion (Fallen)-Lauren Kate

Party-Tom Leveen

Darkest Mercy-Melissa Marr

City of Fallen Angels-Cassandra Clare

Delirium-Lauren Oliver

Contest Rules:

Here's how you WIN.

1. Follow My Blog

2. Follow me on twitter @tromelblossom

3. Add your summer reading list in the comments

You can start entering tomorrow. Winner will be selected on 6/22/11

Goodluck ;o)

Under Construction: My Writing

Okay so as you all know I've been studying in preparation to write my next novel. Taking the time to revisit some of the books I've previously read like:

HOOKED

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL

Adding other helpful writing books like:

THE FIRE IN FICTION

THE POWER OF POINT OF VIEW

CREATING CHARACTER EMOTIONS

Well these books have taught me so much over the past couple of weeks that I made the hard decision to dive back into revising UNDISTURBED. (They're not lying when they say a book is never finished) It's been a week and I've made major improvements. If you haven't picked up these books are don't have a stack of your own favorites, you're not growing as a writer. I have learned so much and I take that knowledge with me to my new stories. I am now confident that SOUL STONES will be my best work yet.

So this summer, put down your next installment of your favorite YA series, and stop stalking Query Shark trying to figure out "how to crack the query code." and take a little time out to do the best thing you could do for yourself as a writer and the amazing characters, whose stories you can't wait to share with the world. Study the craft of writing, apply it to your stories of the past, present, and future, and always, always, always leave room to learn more.

Summer of Giveaways: Blog Contests Galore :o)

So schools out and the heats up. It's the perfect time to sit back and wait for some really cool stuff to come in the mail.

I've been wanting to do a blog contest for a while and I figured why not make it a summer of contests.

Beginning June 17th I will be running Bi-Weekly Blog contests, giving away music, books, movies, gift cards, you name it I've got it. And it all will leaded up to the huge prize of a Kindle. To celebrate the launch of CRISSANA HIGH, my online novel series in august.


So get yourself in the pool now.
Follow this blog and twitter (@tromelblossom) and you could be getting awesome prizes for me in the mail.

Certain prizes will not be available internationally, but there are plenty which will be.

Stay turned for more info ;o)

Made of Awesome Contest

Shelley Watters is at it again and this time she has the awesome Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson and Associates! Judging a first page contest.

So Here's the opportunity for me to share the first page of UNDISTURBED with you all. Hope you like it.


Title: UNDISTURBED
Genre: YA Paranormal
Word Count: 78,000

I never believed I was safe. No one at Weller Prep with the exception of Bobby Vincent was, until today. I tapped on the door with my elbow, my hands too sore to bend, and unclenched my jaw as his mother approached the door. “Good morning, Mrs. Vincent.”

“Deyan, long time no see. Come in,” she said, opening the door. “Well aren’t you cute with your little gloves.”

“Thank you. I was hoping to catch Bobby before he left for school. Is he still here?” Of course he is, his truck is parked outside. He was lucky I liked his mother too much to slash his tires. After six years of his pranks, there was no telling what I might do, especially since I had skipped my meds.

“Let me check,” she said, looking up at the large staircase. “Bobby? Deyan’s here to see you.”

My phone buzzed for the thirty-second time. His jokes were one thing, but posting my phone number online was going too far. He knew I would be looking for him after receiving his list. He hadn’t replied to any of my texts. Granted they contained some of the most offensive f-bomb mash-ups my best friend, Nikki, could conjure up.

“Bobby, did you hear me?” she asked.

“Tell her I’m in the shower,” he yelled.

He was such an idiot. Like I didn’t know he was lying, our houses had the same layout; we even shared a back fence.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think :o)

YA Critique Group Members Wanted (Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/ Contemporary)

So I've been thinking of forming a critique group for a while now, but edits for UNDISTURBED required my full attention and I didn't want to commit to something I couldn't follow through. Well I'm now embarking on new projects that won't reach the editing stage until late in the fall and I'd like to really develop a network of writers actively pursuing publication.

I know that sounds like every writer out there, but there is a clear difference in writing based on trends and creating something truly unique.

I live for unique. Stories that no one has every heard of. Romances that haven't been explored, and characters that defy the stereotypes. These are the type of stories I write and they are also the types of stories I would love to read and would be pleased to critique.

My goal for a critique group is creating an environment that is nurturing, supportive, and honest. I'd love to find critique partners who are fans of each other's stories and want to help each other succeed.

Everyone is good at something, but I'd love to develop a group who share the desire to hone their craft by reading published works and books about writing. I have an extensive library and would be more than happy to share.

All in all I'm looking for a support/critique group. The writing process is rough, time consuming, and often a lonely one. My husband and my friends don't understand my squeals about characters that don't exist outside of my head. They don't know the publishing process and what it takes. It would be nice to have a group to go to who understand what it's like to be one unknown writer in a genre millions are trying to break in everyday.

Well that's my pitch. If you're looking for a similar group please comment with your email address or fill out a contact form on: http://www.tromelblossom.com/ and we can see if we would be a good match.

Revision Tip: Lending your memories to your characters

I've been hard at work revising UNDISTURBED and one thing that has really helped me is to tap into my memory bank and add those emotions to my story.


I practiced this during the Writer's Digest Conference this fall and it worked so well that I find myself asking: "How would i feel if this were me?"







It's hard to be honest when it comes to writing fiction. We're writing to entertain and inspire and at times our message or purpose can get lost in all those eloquent words. If you want your readers to connect with your characters you have to give them reason to. It also means that you might have to share some very personal feelings.



It's hard describing emotions. These are things we feel that have no tell tell signs. I've found the most honest and simply stated lines of my story are the one's that my readers connect with the most. If I could I would fill the entire novel with them.


As an author we have a direct link to our characters. We know what they're feeling and thinking before they do. It can be hard to pull back and survey your story with blind eyes, which is why BETA READERS are so important. They know nothing about your story so when they make a note that says "I feel like I don't know this character." or "What's the character thinking?" These are signals that you've been keeping the emotional content to yourself.


Don't just bypass these comments thinking your Beta Readers "don't get it." or "They skimmed instead of reading it." I know when I beta read I am even more critical than I would just reading a book, because that's what I expect from my readers.


Filling in the holes in your story can only make it better. No one has ever complained that a book was filled with too much emotion.


When you can't use your own memories. For example if a character has a stalker or they've been abducted and you have no knowledge of that, access a time when you were afraid for your life or extremely paranoid (lol). We've all been there. Walking home after dark, looking over our shoulder every few seconds. Eyeing every person on the street as we pray they just keep walking.


Teens may not talk or interact the way I did, but just like there are no new stories there are no new emotions. The heart break, fear, and angst they feel is just like our own. We just have to access it and lend it to our characters.


How about you, what tricks do you use to create emotional depth?