If if isn’t personal what the heck is it?

Author Interviews That Rock

Julie Cross

TEMPEST
& VORTEX

Click the pics for awesome Julie links!

Okay Julie, tell the readers a little bit about  your books.

Tempest is the first book in a young adult trilogy that follows my main character, 19 year old Jackson Meyer, as he jumps through time (literally), to learn about his past and to try and save the his girlfriend, Holly. Vortex is the sequel to Tempest and it releases in the US on January 15, 2013.

Just to get us started, how old are you?

I’m 32.5 years old

What inspired you to write TEMPEST & VORTEX?

The concept for Tempest came in layers as I worked with my now editor, Brendan Deneen. My idea started with a sort of time travel story that was also about aliens and gymnastics. His idea was to acquire a teen version of The Time Traveler’s Wife. Tempest is a story that emerged from both our creative brains.

Why time travel?

The type of time travel is Tempest appealed to me as writer because I love the idea of having a character revisit moments of his or her own past. The scenes where Jackson visits years that his twin sister, who died of cancer at 14, was still alive were so emotionally powerful to write. That’s probably what made me fall in love with writing time travel.

What made you want to write in the first place?

I started writing in May of 2009. I think I was mostly looking for an escape from everyday life. The kind of escape you get from an amazing book. I read a lot and there were moments when I wanted to change the course of a book. It dawned on me that I could write my own story.

What keeps you writing?

I wish I knew the answer to that question. Once I started, I just could stop. In fact, I waited to get bored with it, to quit, but so far that hasn’t happened. It’s challenging and stimulating in a way that I hadn’t experienced before and I feel like there’s always something more to learn. It’s amazing to discover your passion, even at 29 years old. Truly amazing.

What is the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

My first instinct is to say, Read a lot. But that’s the piece of advice I often give to writers who ask me this question, but I already read a lot so I didn’t need to hear that particular advice myself. I’d have to say reading Stephen King’s book, On Writing and the part (don’t quote me or anything) where he says something along the lines of, most importantly, you have to write a good story. It just meant that I didn’t need to feel intimidated by the idea of finding big words and creating mind-blowing symbolism and metaphors. Or even understand contracts and the publishing industry before beginning a novel. I just needed to write a good story. 

How do you discipline yourself to keep at the writing?

I only have to discipline myself to up with other aspects of my life…laundry, exercise, grocery shopping, cleaning, my kids’ homework and activities. The writing part so far doesn’t require discipline. 

When did you decide, this is what I really want to do? I want to be a writer! Was there a particutlar ah-ha moment?

When I was offered a three book deal with St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books, all I had were questions and confusion and many of them my editor couldn’t answer right away as I searched for an agent, but he sent me an email that said basically, “Just keep in mind, from this day on YOU. ARE. GOING. TO. BE. A. PUBLISHED. AUTHOR” and he wrote it just like that and it hit me that no matter what, whether I wrote forever or not, I’d be known as a published author. That was truly my aha moment.

What is the most important thing for a writer to remember?

There is almost never one clear answer, one clear path, one right way to do anything, to tell any story, and to interpret any story. Open your mind to the realm of possibilities and don’t dwell on the impossibilities and improbabilities and all things that begin with a negative.

Do you belong to any cool writerly groups on or off line?

I’ve recently been emailing with some YA authors that I’ve met at events and doing some beta reading and critique.

If you were to mentor other writers what wisdom would you find most helpful.

I like honest critique, even brutally honest. I’m one who can handle it just fine. But I realize others need to work in phases. I think the idea of being able to pitch a story in a sentence is so helpful to new writers. Even if you figure everything out in your story and it doesn’t quite fit into a one-line mold, chances are you’ve worked out some issues while trying to get it narrowed a bit. It took me such a long time to figure out what it meant to be able to summarize a story in a short statement. Whenever I couldn’t do this, there was always something wrong with my plot. If you can address this even before you begin writing, it could be a huge factor in getting a finished product that can actually be sold.

Just for kicks… What are some of your favorite TV shows, movies?

My current favorite shows are GLEE, Dance Moms, The Voice, Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Falling Skies. My movie favorites are very all over the place, I almost never go to the theater (just for the big ones like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, ect…). I love comedies and I’ll watch any cheesy romantic comedy, even the DCOM and ABC Family ones. I typically write/read edgy, emotionally heavy and sometimes intense thrillerish stuff so that must be why I choose the lighter movie/TV options.

If you could be a character from a book who would you be?

Katniss Everdeen. Hands down. I need her survival skills. I’m assuming while taking over her body, I’d also be allowed to acquire the knowledge stored up in her brain?

Last movie you saw at the theater?

Hunger Games

What is your favorite board game?

Monopoly.

How do you get into your characters heads?

Good question. I’m not sure, but I’m sure that I do get in their heads and become them. I leave myself and my views and opinions completely in the dust.  

What is most special about your protagonist?

For Jackson, it’s his potential to be great, however sometimes I’d have to say that comes in second to watching him fail in the process of reaching his potential. It took me a while to realize how much I wanted him to experience the struggle to be great just as much as I wanted to see him get there.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so what gets you motivated?

I usually don’t listen to music, but I could if I wanted to. I’m pretty relaxed about my writing place and time. I can shut out the world around me even if it’s quite hectic.

Other than writing, what do you like to do for fun? Hobbies?

Reading. I also love running. I’m really great at it but it brings a different challenge and a lot of clarity within the creative part of my brain.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher. Always a teacher. But the type of teacher changed constantly.

If your protagonist could give one piece of advice to your readers what would it be?

Always prepare for the worst. Write everything important down in notebook that you always have on you.

What would your villain/villains have to say about that?

Well…I suppose they would support this advice fully. They are very intelligent and capable people. Unfortunately.

Any closing words of wisdom for other author-wannabees out there?

Enjoy the freedom of writing just for you even if publication is your end goal. If you enjoy reading books in your genre and you create a story that you enjoy reading there’s a good chance other people will like it, too.

And there you have it! Personal and Real with Julie Cross!

Check out Tempest & Vortex on Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13364300-vortex

“Surround yourself with people who know more than you and soak up knowledge like a sponge!” P.K. Witte

 

Love is in the air…

Sweet kisses, soft caresses, sighs upon angst-filled teenage sighs. Writing romance is natural, easy, simple, or is it? Gate Crashers everywhere want to know how YA and MG writers get their heads in the game. That first kiss, second base, under the shirt-over the bra, or going for the home run… How do you write it when just thinking about it makes you blush and go all sweaty palms?

It’s easy, super simple. Just do what I do. Grab your best romance writerly hat, your giant pencil and your paper…

What? Not feeling it? Me either.

Writing romance can be tricky. Luckily for Gate Crashers everywhere a group of amazingly talented writers were happy to share their feelings about writing the ROMANTIC STUFF with us!

Come on in, have a look around, have fun, learn something that just might help you with your own sloppy teen kiss scenes. Remember, keep it real. Be honest and true to your readers and they’ll love you forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Click the pics for these author’s writerly links!

  

Chelsea Pitcher

THE S-WORD

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? I’ve always really enjoyed writing complicated romantic situations: faeries of the Dark Court falling in love with humans; mortals becoming entangled with gods. It’s not so difficult to bring these characters together. After all, they know their love is real. It’s the rest of the world that doesn’t get it. But when it comes to two emotionally damaged humans who are masters at sabotaging their own happiness, the task becomes a bit more difficult. (Or nearly impossible!)

2. How did you get your head in the game? In “The S-Word” I found myself facing my most difficult romantic/emotional situation yet. How do I get a girl who’s closed herself off from the world to open up, even a little bit? I wasn’t looking for her to have a full-blown love affair; I just wanted her to remember that love exists. But to do this, I had to introduce her to the right kind of person. I couldn’t push her toward someone confident and invulnerable. That was exactly the type of person who’d hurt her before. I needed someone with his own deep-seated problems, someone who wanted friendship and nothing more. That way, Angie didn’t have to fear being used or manipulated. She could feel safe. And, just like that, a deeper connection was formed.

3. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book?There is a scene in “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” that is just perfection (though I’m not going to say when, or with who, for spoilery reasons). The kiss! Perfection. There is so much more than just physical chemistry at play (although that can be a lot of fun too!) There is sweetness, and desire. There is longing bleeding into necessity. No matter how many fabulous love scenes I read, this will always be one of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mindy Raf

THE SYMPTOMS OF MY INSANITY

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters?

Without giving too much away, there’s one scene that could be romantic, but ends up being really awkward and a little skeevy psychically and emotionally. It was a challenge to keep it funny and squirm- inducing. Also maintaining likability with a character when the action goes from swoon-worthy to a little shady is always a challenge.

Sarah Skilton

BRUISED

1. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book?

I adore the scene in Jane Austen’s Persuasion when Captain Wentworth presents Anne with a love letter he’s written, prompted by a conversation he overheard in which Anne spoke about women’s ability of “loving longest even when all hope is gone.” It’s the culmination of 8 years of longing on both their parts, and the scene never ceases to make me sigh and/or tear up.

K.A. (Kelly) Barson

45 POUNDS (MORE OR LESS)

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? Overall, romantic scenes–both in real life and in stories–make giggle awkwardly. (Yes, deep down I’m still twelve.) So pretty much every romantic scene I write is challenging.

2. How did you get your head in the game? I think about what could possibly go wrong. I add catastrophe to the scene to add real humor and to diffuse my inappropriate giggling.

3. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? Since I relate more to awkward romance, probably LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green or STONER AND SPAZ by Ron Koertge. Is it a coincidence that neither of these ended “happily ever after”? No. I’m weird, I guess. 

Elle Cosimano

NEARLY GONE

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? In one of my stories, the love interests can’t touch. Trying to capture the sense of intimacy between them without falling back on physical connectedness meant getting deep in their heads and hearts. It was exhausting, but a fantastic exercise in interiority.

2. How did you get your head in the game? Music helps me set the mood. Also, a good babysitter.

3. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? No contest. Sarah Rees-Brennan wrote the hottest kiss scene I’ve ever read, hands down! The rooftop kiss in the rain in The Demon’s Covenant will forever set the bar as far as I’m concerned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chelsey Flood

INFINITE SKY

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? I think the most challenging romantic situation I’ve had to face with my characters is when Iris and Trick begin opening up to each other. I wanted to make their relationship about friendship as well as first love, and so I was always trying to keep the balance between confiding and intimacy and romance. I wanted them to be good friends before they ventured into the territory of kissing. I hope I got it right.

2. How did you get your head in the game? I got my head in the game very easily – perhaps worryingly so! Because my protagonist, Iris, is a sort of idealized version of teen me, I find it very easy to get into her head space. I simply remembered my teen crushes, and then wrote the scenes that I would have loved to have played out with them – if only I’d have dared initiate a conversation with them in the first place! That’s what’s so lovely about Trick – he actually moves into Iris’s garden – he really couldn’t make it any easier for her at all. Or so it seems…

 3.What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? It’s a bit obvious, but I’m struggling to remember any that I love more, so therefore, my favorite romantic book is Pride and Prejudice. The way that Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett misjudge each other, and hurt each other’s feelings before finally coming to understand each other (enough to get married at least!) is quite, quite satisfactory.

 

 

 

Kit Grindstaff

THE FLAME IN THE MIST

1. How did you get your head in the game? The Flame in the Mist’s main character, thirteen-year-old Jemma, has a budding romance with her loyal pal, Digby. Though it’s years since I was her age (though not quite as far back as the book’s medieval-ish setting), getting into her emotions wasn’t hard; a quick trip down memory lane to a specific day, a specific boy, a specific moment…I’d be there in a heartbeat. Keeping in mind the prescriptions for Middle Grade—no steam, nothing that pushes the boundaries of adolescence—once I started molding my experiences into Jemma’s, words made memory even sharper: a gasp-worthy glance, tentative hand-holding, the anticipation of a first kiss…Describing those things made them fresh all over again—hopefully as much for the reader as for me. So to get into the game? Close eyes, drift away, remember the sweetness, then paddle ashore and seal it—maybe with a kiss—onto the page.

2. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? Before I Die by Jenny Downham… With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa…(has) made a list… —ten things she wants to do before she dies. Number one is sex. Starting tonight. The blurb of Jenny Downham’s Before I Die almost put me off, since the “starting tonight” makes it so obviously a marketing hook. Sex sells. But the book delves far deeper than its blurb implies. Beautifully written and moving on every page, the development of Tessa and Adam’s relationship is just part of the emotional ride, weaving sweetness into a painful story. To go into detail would be spoiler-ish, but more tender, loving and extraordinary scenes would be hard to imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                     Janci Patterson

CHASINIG THE SKIP

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? For me, all romance is hard to write. It’s not easy to write attraction that feels real, without falling back on clichés or being overdramatic. Romance is drama, but it has to feel compelling and fresh to the reader, so that they’ll fall in love right along with the characters. It’s always a careful balancing act.

2. How did you get your head in the game? In CHASING THE SKIP, the most challenging part of the romantic tension was for me to write Ricki’s immediate attraction to Ian–and have the reader take her seriously. The first time I wrote the scene where Ricki first meets Ian, it was terrible. I ran it through my writing group, and they pointed out all the places where I was telling the reader how Ricki felt instead of showing it with visceral detail, and all the places where the phrases I used were tired or unimaginative. So I went back through and tried to replace the overdramatic with the dramatic, the cliché with the sensory, and the tired with the fresh. It took several passes for me to get it right, but when I was finished with the final draft of the scene, I was pleased with it. I suppose that’s always how I get my head in the game: I fail in the first draft and then rework and rework until it shines.

Polly Holyoke

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? In THE NEPTUNE PROJECT my heroine Nere finally gets to kiss Cam, the boy who has always been her best friend. I wanted to explore that moment when friendship can turn into something deeper, when HE finally admits he really cares about her, and SHE finally wakes up and realizes that she might truly love him. But just when Nere gets into kissing Cam, government soldiers charge down a hillside, and moments later they cut Cam down. Poor Nere doesn’t even know if Cam is going to survive as she has to leave the beach and enter the ocean forever.

2. How did you get your head in the game? I tried thinking back to my first kiss (ninth grade while off stage during a musical) but it was WAY too wet and clumsy to be an inspiration for a great first kiss. So, I fell back on my imagination and wrote the kind of kiss I wish I’d experienced that first time around.

3. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? I love OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, and that book is so full of romantic scenes, it’s hard to choose just one. I probably like the scene when the time traveling heroine tries to return to the present, but she can’t leave Jamie, the young highlander she’s fallen in love with in the past. When she returns to him, prepared to stay with him forever, he’s fallen asleep in an abandoned croft, and it’s clear he fell asleep crying. That sweet scene makes me tear up just thinking about it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liz Fichera

HOOKED

1. What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters? Every romantic situation is a challenge unless you understand what’s in the head of your characters. I think the biggest challenge is the detail, and the best romantic scenes are the ones of subtleties. They’re the ones with a lot of lead-up, conflict and tension before the couple shares that special first kiss, that special first anything. As a reader (and writer), I don’t want the mechanics. I know how it’s done, for crying out loud. I want to understand the emotion and angst behind the build-up because that’s where the intrigue, the compelling reason to keep turning the pages, reside. In other words, I don’t want to read how they kiss or roll in the hay; I want to understand and be shown why they want more than anything in the world to be together.

2. How did you get your head in the game?Music is key. I love New Country for their love songs. Every song tells a little story, and I love that.

3. What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book? I adore and respect any author that gets me emotionally invested in his/her characters and writes great angsty build-up while still leaving a little for my own imagination. Yes, please.

Hilary Weisman Graham

REUNITED

What is the most challenging romantic situation you’ve had to face with your characters?

Well, I’m about to face it in the new MS I’m writing. It’s a light sci-fi that features a romance between two teens of different races, both of whom have pressure from their families and/or communities to “stick to their own kind.” The romance part will be fun when I get to it, it’s writing the racism in their backgrounds that’s agonizing.

How did you get your head in the game?

When I’m writing a romantic scene, I find myself getting totally get wrapped up in the romantic tension. I think all authors vicariously experience their characters’ emotions, but as an old married lady, it’s especially nice to feel all swoony and starry-eyed again.

What is your favorite romantic book/scene from a book?

There are so many great romances in books, but I have to say that I’m partial to the ones that end tragically, like in John Green’s THE FAULT IN OUR STARS or LITTLE CHILDREN by Tom Perotta. Though I’m not quite sure what this says about me psychologically.

There you have it! Thoughtful words of wisdom on the craft of writing romance for the youth reader. Is it simple, easy? Not exactly. But it is possible and fun and really makes you get your head in the game. Try it. Keep it real. Be true to your readers. Just do it.

Spread the love of reading and writing!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Getting Real With Real Authors

If it isn’t personal, what the heck is it?

Author Interviews That Rock!

Jay Kristoff

STORMDANCER

HERE’S THE BLURB!

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST 
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT 
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

And We’re Off!

Just to get us started, how old are you?

Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it anyway.

What inspired you to write STORMDANCER?

A dream. Which is a really lame answer and helps no-one. So feel free to make up a better one and insert it here as my answer. If you can somehow work in me and a jet pack, that’d be aces.(Dreams are the stuff books are made of. Keep on rocking!)

Do you have a special affinity for the environment?

Affinity? Hells no. One look at the ashen ruins of my garden will quash that rumor. But do I care about the impact our species is having on the world – most definitely. I’m sort of amazed more people aren’t paying attention.

Why Steampunk?

I love the aesthetic. I love the collision of sci-fi and fantasy. I love that it’s still relatively uncovered ground – there’s been a lot of a Steampunk of one particular flavor (Victorian English), but the idea of historical settings and anachronistic technology hasn’t really be played out yet in many other ways or places. It feels like a riff that hasn’t been played to death yet.

What made you want to write in the first place?

I think it’s probably something you’re born with? The need to create, in one way or another, has been with me since I was a kid. Art, music, writing, they’re all sourced from the same seed. The desire to actually write books probably grew in me when I was writing for a living (I worked in advertising for a little over ten years). Problem with writing for a living is that you very quickly stop wanting to write for fun, because writing is your job, something you need to do on command. Once I quit the advertising gig, I decided to try and write something for myself, rather than using my words to sell toilet paper or whatever.

Five years later, here we are!

What keeps you writing?

I can’t imagine what I ever did before. It’s the best job in world, seriously. Seeing your book on a bookstore shelf and knowing “I did that”, making something out of nothing, just pulling worlds and stories out of your head and watching them take shape on the page and have people all over the world read them – it’s just the weirdest, coolest feeling in the world.

What is the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

Never finish a writing session by finishing a scene. Make yourself stop before you want to, even if you’re on a roll. That way, when you start again the next day, you’ll be rearing to go, instead of sitting there staring at the Cursor of Doom wondering “WTF happens next?”

How do you discipline yourself to keep at the writing?

I’ve never really had to force myself to sit down a write (yet) – it’s just something I want to do. I tell people that “writing is really hard fun”, because honestly, it can’t be described as work. It’s hard, heartbreaking, frustrating, depressing, all those things. But it’s not work.

Digging ditches is work. Collecting other people’s trash is work. Telling stories? Building worlds? That’s fun. It’s just really frackin’ hard fun, sometimes.

What is the most important thing for a writer to remember?

I probably shouldn’t presume to tell anyone else what’s important. Although breathing is pretty vital, in the grand scheme of things. (Damn straight!)

Do you belong to any cool writerly groups on or off line?

No, all the groups I’m in are completely uncool. (And if you believe that I’ll throw the Golden Gate in free…)

Just for kicks… What are some of your favorite TV shows, movies?

TV: The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Game of Thrones, Archer, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Carnivale, Deadwood, Rome (anything HBO is usually good)

Movies: The Life Aquatic, Alien, Bladerunner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Usual Suspects, Seven, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Matrix, The Proposition, The Blues Brothers, Fellowship of the Ring, zzzz, I have a million.

As a kid what was your favorite book?

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. (Excellent )

Last movie you saw at the theater?

Lawless (written by Nick Cave, directed by John Hillcoat). It was good, although not as good as The Proposition (another film those two guys did together which is amaaaaazing).

What is your favorite board game?

Battlestar Galactica. Yeah, I know,. Nerd alert.

How do you get into your characters heads?

I think getting into a character’s head is kinda like getting to know someone in real life. The more time you spend in each other’s company, the more you’re going to learn.

So I write. Lots.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so what gets you motivated?

I listen to music beforehand, but very rarely during. I find it too hard to concentrate. I’m one of those annoying writers who needs complete and utter silence to write, which means my wife gets exiled to the other end of the house and my dog gets yelled at a lot.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Rock star. Or maybe the Silver Surfer.

If your protagonist could give one piece of advice to your readers what would it be?

Open your eyes. Open your mind. Then close the fingers on your hand. (Beautiful.)

Any closing words of wisdom for other author-wannabees out there?

Having other people believe in you is nice, but optional. Believing in yourself is mandatory. (Wonderful!)

And there you have it! Personal and Real with Jay Kristoff!

Please show your writerly love and leave a comment for Jay (or Gate Crashers)

“Surround yourself with people who know more than you and soak up knowledge like a sponge!” P.K. Witte

“Surround yourself with people who know more than you and soak up knowledge like a sponge!” P.K. Witte

Welcome to, The Dreaded Elevator Pitch Part Two! 

Do you really want to avoid the elevator pitch? No Way!

 

Developing your elevator pitch, one-liner or opening sentences of your query is often tough, a bugger, a brain teaser extraordinaire. Sometimes it’s totally complicated or even just plain Hell! Most writers dread the process of encapsulating their entire WIP into a simple statement. All those beautiful words condensed into a tiny pitch, ugh! But, we’ve all had to do it. Yes, it’s stressful. Sure, we fear the worst. But, come on? We’re writers, isn’t that we do best? We live to suck our readers in and hold their attention for better or worse (hopefully better)!                            

If you dread the elevator pitch, don’t worry. If it gives you cold shivers just thinking about it, have faith, you’re in the same boat with a lot of your friends!

When I went asking writers in the know if they’d share their pitches and their feelings with Gate Crashers the response was amazing! Tons of wonderful writerly folk jumped aboard. So dig in. Enjoy. Learn. And know that you are NOT alone!

The elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product (your book).

The Elevator Pitch Otherwise Known as the One-liner or the Opening of Your Query!

Click the pics for awesome writerly links!

Elsie Chapman

DUALED

“When space and resources are limited and everyone has a genetic Alt, only one is permitted to survive. For fifteen year old West Grayer to face hers, she must find strength in her skills as an assassin…even as she’s made vulnerable by a love she can’t refuse.” 

 About the pitch:

 I never did have to officially “elevator pitch” DUALED, but I think it’s a great idea to have a pitch worked out in your head for when it might be needed. I can’t be the only writer who freezes when it comes to actually talking about their book to someone else, no matter how easily words tend to come on paper. A good pitch is so hard to nail down—you want to entice without giving too much away; to have that what they call that “hook” to make it impossible to not want more. When you’re only given a sentence or two with which to work, it really forces you to strip your book down to its main themes, its core and heart. The truly important stuff.

 

Polly Holyoke

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started out writing romance novels and went to a bunch of RWA conferences. There we often had to pitch our books in group sessions with editors. I remember I spent hours writing my first perfectly-worded pitch. Then I spent hours more practicing it in front of a mirror, and then when my big moment came, I completely MASSACRED the sentence I had labored over! The follow-up pitch likewise came out all garbled, and I sat there with my face BURNING while everyone else pitched their books with total poise. The good news is, at the end of the session, the editor requested that we all send our projects to her, and I learned afterwards, that’s pretty much what they always do at group pitch sessions!

For the children’s book I recently sold to Disney/Hyperion, the perfect pitch line just came to me out of the blue. “When the sea has become mankind’s last hope, a group of teens struggles to survive beneath the waves.” I think a great pitch needs to sum up the essence of your story, but it also needs to convey what’s DIFFERENT and unique. That is what is going to pique an editor’s interest. There are a gazillion different coming of age stories out there, but not so many set in the sea.

My only regret is I never got to use this great pitch line for THE NEPTUNE PROJECT at a conference because Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic offered to represent it, and he promptly sold it two weeks later. So now I use it as my tag line beneath my email signature instead!

April Genevieve Tucholke

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

 

I never actually pitched my book at a conference, etc, but here’s what it might have looked like:

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a voice-driven literary horror, part Stephen King, part THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. An eccentric, lonely bookworm named Violet lives with her twin brother in a rotting mansion on the sea. When a new boy comes to town and rents her guesthouse, she finds herself drawn to him, despite his lying, despite his mysterious past, despite all the eerie, horrifying things that begin happening around her.

Jenn R. Johansson

INSOMNIA

“Parker spends every night trapped in the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with, and it’s killing him…until he meets Mia. Finding ways to make eye contact every night isn’t easy and when Mia starts receiving threatening emails, her dreams transform into scenes of a horror movie, with Parker cast as the villain. He must discover who is truly tormenting her, and clear his name, before the real stalker makes good on his threats to end her dreams forever.”

I had a few versions of this. As you can see, mine is more than one line, but I use the first line if I only have enough time for one. I think between my one line pitch and full query, I must have 6 different lengths that I use depending on the situation, but this one is the most common. It gives a full idea of the plot without wasting any words or details and I can say the whole thing in about 20 seconds…can you tell I’ve practiced this in the real world? This length is actually perfect for an elevator ride. Anyway, I think having different pitches for different occasions is a great way to stay prepared for when people ask the inevitable (and often terrifying) question, “What is your book about?”

 

Erin Jade Lange

BUTTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time I needed an elevator pitch, I had already sold a book. But I was attending my first conference and wanted to tell people about my work. I couldn’t figure out how to do it in one line, so I came up with a whole paragraph and just settled for saying it as fast as I could to make it go by quickly.

 I do not recommend this method. It was a rushed pitch, and listeners probably missed most of it. If I had taken more time to think about it, I would have come up with something like this:

An obese teenager’s plan to eat himself to death live on the internet makes him surprisingly popular – so popular he no longer wants to go through with it. But will the people who love his website love him without it?

 

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

PIRATE PRINCESS

 

There are two things you need to do to create a great elevator pitch: keep it simple and play coy. For my newest picture book, PIRATE PRINCESS, I used that formula — successfully, since the book has been on the shelves since May. Here’s the pitch: Princess Bea is not the kind of princess you’d expect — her dreams are of pirate ships, not pretty crowns. Can she earn a spot on Captain Jack’s crew — or will she walk the plank? In 34 words, this pitch tells you who my main character is (Princess Bea), how she is different (wants to be a pirate), who she’ll have to contend with to reach her goal (Captain Jack), and even hints at a bit of danger (walking the plank) — but you still have to read the book to know for sure how it will work out!

Ryan Graudin

ALL THAT GLOWS

Oh the elevator pitch. I actually never had to use an elevator pitch, since I never attended conferences and therefore never (knowingly) shared an elevator with an agent or editor. I found my agent through a full length query! I did, however, become very adept at describing my book in two sentences to the many, many people who ask the inevitable question, “What is your book about?”

ALL THAT GLOWS is about a Faery who’s forced to guard the partying Prince of England and accidentally falls in love with him. There are also assassins and paparazzi.

Of course, this isn’t the whole of the book. But it’s enough to get you salivating (hopefully!).

 

There you have it! The word on elevator pitches from seven amazing authors! And you know what? Although everyone has different experiences and different methods of dealing with the dreaded pitch, everyone shares similar emotions. As writer’s we’re all in the same boat, dreaming of the day our ship will come in. While we’re waiting, isn’t it wonderful to share experiences and learn from one another? That’s what Crashing the Gate is all about!

Don’t let those crazy elevator pitches get you down! No matter how attractive they may seem, avoid the stairs. Take the express route instead!

 

 

Come on in.

By now you know the gate is open, welcoming

everyone into the realm of children’s literature!

It’s not magic.

Everyone can…

Crash The Gate!

Click the pics for awesome writerly links!

Okay, so sometimes you feel like the Grim Reaper is sitting beside you, silently insinuating that your WIP should just RIP and the sooner the better.

And you bang your head against your keyboard and the resulting gibberish seems better than everything you spent your day writing. You think you’re never going to get it right, but your WRONG and the LUCKY 13ers are proof!

Sure, it seems crazy, but it’s true. Publishing a book is not impossible. You know you can do it. Just like the Lucky 13er’s who’ve paved the way, you too can pull a sword from a stone! (Get it? The impossible can really be done! Seriously if Arthur and Link can do it…) You need some tools, for sure! Confidence, Persistence, Dedication and A Little Bit Of Luck!

Ignore that Grim Reaper, take heart, and learn what the

Lucky 13ers already know…

 

 

 

 

 

Brandy Colbert

A POINT SO DELICATE

 

 1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

 

I realized my story was meant to be a book when I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and imagining all the ways I would tackle the “what-if.” That’s usually what drives me to write a story, the what-if. I don’t outline on paper, so I’ve found it’s the best way to plan out the story in my head before I start writing. The abduction plot came first, then the ballet. I have a not-so-secret fascination with dance books and abduction books, so I guess it only makes sense that I finally combined the two themes to write the type of novel I’d want to read.

2. Advice to aspiring writers.

Don’t quit. Seriously, don’t. You’re going to have some really bad days and face multiple rejections. We all do. Even after the agent and after the book deal. But you never know who will be intrigued by your pitch or pluck your query out of the slush pile. Keep reading, keep writing, keep getting better.

3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

Besides the rejections and the waiting? (Oh, the waiting – it never stops.) I think sharing my work with other people was one of the most difficult things I had to do. I’ve been writing since childhood, but even then, I would only show my stories to one close friend. I finally realized that I couldn’t improve if I didn’t show my writing to other people. And I wanted to make my books as good as they could possibly be. So I sucked it up and found critique partners. My CPs have changed over the years, but they remain one of the most invaluable parts of the process.

 4. The most fun thing?

The most fun part for me has been meeting so many new people, from connecting with an agent and editor (both of whom I absolutely adore) to becoming friends with other writers in various stages of their journey. I feel quite fortunate to know so many people who feel the way I do about books, reading, and writing, and none of this would be nearly as fun without them.

 

Kristin Halbrook

 NOBODY BUT US

 1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

I knew it was meant to be a story when these fictional characters, this fictional journey, this fictional story . . . set against a backdrop of the real world, of real struggles, broke my heart. And I had only jotted down a blurb for the story at that point.

Usually, for me, it’s that passionate emotional response to some or all parts of a potential story that keep me invested in it, that keep me needing to write to see what happens.

 2. Advice to aspiring writers.

First, determine if you want to write because you love to write or if you want to write because you want to be published. The journeys for either option are quite different.

If publishing is your goal, begin writing with knowing that writing, like all crafts, demands an apprenticeship. There is a learning curve, different for everyone, and climbing that mountain, combined with talent garnered through both nature and nuture, is what will help you succeed in publishing. Paying your dues should be rewarding, as you develop your style and voice, grow your vocabulary, read more in your genre, rather than frustrating. You’re doing good work here!

 3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

Learning how much time I need to take away from my manuscripts before I’m ready to revise. Ultimately, it’s a gut feeling to know how much time, but almost always it’s more time than my brain thinks it “should” be.

 4. The most fun thing?

The most fun things about this journey are building friendships with those in the community, celebrating their successes and my own, starting new projects and the feeling of satisfaction that comes with having met several life goals.

 

Chelsey Flood

INFINITE SKY

1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

Good question. ‘Infinite Sky’ started off as a sort of memoir really, I was just writing episodes from my childhood, trying to make them funny or sad, but in the voice of a character I’d had for a while: Iris. The story came worryingly late to the party, after about 50,000 words, I think… And I discovered it at the time I wrote it. I didn’t have a story worthy of a book for aaaages. Oh, how I worried.

 2. Advice to aspiring writers.

My advice is don’t worry if you can’t write sometimes. Go and do something else: walk, read, run, get drunk, have fun, dance, catch up with friends and family. Pay attention while you’re doing these things too so you can refill the mysterious pit of creation. Most important: don’t let writing ruin your life!

3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

Hardest were all those years where I felt foolish/delusional calling myself a writer, when I’d just had a couple of stories published and was working full time as a waitress. All my friends seemed to be getting somewhere in their careers and I didn’t even have one. I used to really dread being asked what I did. I even stopped asking other people. I went straight from name to hobbies or books or whatever. It didn’t catch on.

 4. The most fun thing?

There have been lots of fun things. When my book went to auction I was pretty happy, but the research was the best. I went to Appleby Horse Fair last year, as it’s a really exciting event date for Irish Travellers. I had my fortune told, and the lady said I would be a writer. She had this incredible fast patter, and was really intense. She’d put cardboard on the floor of her caravan to save the carpet from the mud, and there was all this immaculate china on the windowsill and sides. I wanted to stay for dinner! Actually, she said I would get money without having to work for it. Now that would be fun.

 

Elsie Chapman

DUALED

1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

 An innocent question from my son about doppelgangers. It got me thinking about how it would make a good premise for a book. So I decided to try writing it.

 2. Advice to aspiring writers.

Keep writing. Finish what you start. Make time for it. And read widely when you’re not writing, just to stay immersed in words in another way. Publishing is an awesome goal, but the writing comes first.

 3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

The rejections, the coming-this close-but-not-quite, the waiting. The days you felt like your writing was absolute crap and then struggling to put those days behind you.

 4. The most fun thing?

The publication journey really does give the best of both worlds—I get my alone time to write, and when I need to get out of my own head for a while, I can always find support from other kidlit authors I’ve met online this past year. Also, the idea of seeing my book in a bookstore still pretty much blows my mind.

 

Emma Pass

ACID

 1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

ACID is based on a story I wrote when I was 14, after a friend and I challenged each other to write a story set in a prison. I didn’t get much of it done, but the idea stayed with me, and over the years, I had a couple of attempts at writing it as an adult novel. Somewhere along the line, I discovered I was actually a YA writer. After snagging my fabulous agent with a contemporary YA that didn’t sell, I went back to my prison story, and this time, it was ready to be written.

 2. Advice to aspiring writers.

Never give up! It might be the next book that gets you that publishing deal, or the next one… but if you don’t write them, you’ll never know. And you’ll learn a huge amount from every book you write, even if it doesn’t go anywhere but your bottom drawer.

Also, don’t throw any of your early stuff away! It might come in useful one day (like the story that became ACID did for me!).

3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

The self doubt that crept in after each rejection, or when I knew my writing wasn’t working but couldn’t figure out why. What kept me going was my love for writing – even if ACID hadn’t sold, I’d still be doing it. I’m also lucky enough to have a very patient and supportive husband, who refused to let my insecurities get the better of me even when I was on the verge of giving up!

4. The most fun thing?

For me, it has to be what’s happened since ACID sold – namely, getting online and connecting with writers, bloggers, reviewers and everyone else out there who loves books and reading. I was even asked to join my wonderful group blog, the Lucky 13s, via Twitter! I never expected to enjoy social networking and blogging as much as I do – in fact, before I got my book deal, I avoided it, and as a result often felt quite isolated. I didn’t feel like I could tell many people about my writing, so I didn’t know anyone else who was doing what I was trying to do. There’s an amazing community of people out there and I feel privileged to be part of it.

 

Jessica Corra

AFTER YOU

 

1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

I’ve never been good at having ideas for short stories or novellas. I tend to assume all my ideas are novels-length, or will be once they grow a bit. As far as when I knew AFTER YOU was something special, I’ll be honest: I gave myself shivers when I jotted down the one sentence idea that sparked the book on scrap paper at my desk at work way back in September 2009.

2. Advice to aspiring writers.

Read, write, breathe. Remember to live. You won’t have anything worth writing if you become a black hole of bookishness, fun though it is to be a black hole of bookishness. But do keep the creative well filled. Practice, and just keep going. There is no race.

3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

This is two-fold: I would say I struggle with the endless revision loop, but what that ultimately boils down to is my own impatience.

4. The most fun thing?

I get to work in sun-drenched cafes sipping Italian sodas and coming up with that rejoinder I can never make in the moment, envisioning the romantic scenarios and sweeping adventures I will probably never have, and bring it all to life. I get to dig deep into characters and stories and push them to their edges and then over, until everything sings with a resonance that makes me ache. I get paid to do this. I have the best job ever.

 

Justina Ireland

VENGEANCE BOUND

1. When did you realize the story in your head was meant to be a book?

 Not until after the third or fourth draft, unfortunately!  I wanted it to be a book, but it wasn’t until later drafts that the story really started to gel.  I generally write without an outline, so my method of writing is a little chaotic.

I start by asking “What if?”  With Vengeance Bound (the tentative title of my forthcoming book from Simon and Schuster) I started with an idea of “What if there was a teen girl version of Dexter (the serial killer from the Jeff Lindsay books)?  What would she be like?  And what would motivate her?”  I really liked this idea of a girl who spent her days worrying about typical high school things, like boys and lip gloss, but spent her evenings killing people guilty of these terrible crimes.

But the first few chapters weren’t really working.  My main character was very unsympathetic, and very cold. So then I began to play around with the idea of some sort of paranormal element motivating her, compelling her to seek out these targets.  While researching mythology I stumbled upon the Furies, and everything kind of came together.  And my main character, Amelie, was born!

 2. Advice to aspiring writers.

 First, read, read, and read some more!  Everything that gets published ends up there for a reason.  Figure out what worked in that story, and think about how you can apply that same principle to your writing.  I’m not saying to plagiarize another author, because that’s just wrong, but look and they things they do to move the story along.  Take Suzanne Collins, for example.  She writes great action scenes, and a lot of it is her use of these short, choppy sentences that move your eyes across and down the page very quickly.  Patrick Ness, who wrote the Chaos Walking Trilogy, does the same thing.  So if you’re struggling with an action scene, if it drags or just doesn’t have enough tension, you may want to try breaking up your longer sentences with a few shorter, choppier ones.  By reading how successful writers apply the craft, you can figure out your own style.

Second, when you’re revising don’t be afraid to make the big changes.  The general feeling among writers tends to be “I finished a draft!  Now I just need to smooth out a few things and I’ll be all done!”  That doesn’t always work, and writers shouldn’t be afraid of making major overhauls.  Kill a character, delete a few scenes, add new scenes, get rid of weak plotlines.  Big changes can mean big payoffs, and so can small ones.  Don’t feel committed to your plot if it’s just not working out.

And third, and most important, never give up.  It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of rejection and a lot of self doubt to get published.  I think every writer has had that moment where they’ve stopped and asked themselves “Am I wasting my time?”  If you think you’re wasting your time, ask yourself why.  Is it because you aren’t really that committed to writing?  Or because you’re afraid of more rejection?  Everyone gets derailed at some point.  The important thing is to keep working, to keep improving, to keep marching towards that goal, no matter how long it takes to get there.

 3. The hardest thing about your journey to publication?

The waiting.  Nothing travels quickly in the publishing world, and the waiting would try even a very patient person.  First, you wait to hear back from your beta readers and critique partners.  Then, you wait to hear back from agents once you begin to query them.  And when you’ve landed an agent you wait to hear back on revisions.  When you go on submission you wait to see what editors think of your manuscript.  And then there’s waiting on contracts, and edit letters, and copyedits…the waiting never seems to end.  And it’s easy to lose confidence when you’re waiting, so it’s important to have other things to think about while waiting, like new manuscripts in progress.

 4. The most fun thing?

Right now, I’m loving the idea that people are going to finally get to meet my characters.  That’s just amazing.

 

 

You didn’t really think we were done did you..?

Stay Tuned for the next installment of the Lucky 13ers.

The Lucky 13ers Part Three!

                                                                                                 Wanna chat with other YA writerly folks?