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Combining Two Worlds: Compare and Contrast

Hi! P. J. Hoover, and I’m back for my final day of guest blogging about world building. It’s been a fun week, and I hope you guys have enjoyed it.

Anyway, we now have a book with two distinct worlds created within its pages. What can we, as the author do, to combine these two worlds and make them into one compelling story?

My biggest tip? Compare and contrast. I’ve talked about the outer world with its global heating crisis. The government is taking an active role to make things better (or in some cases worse). In the Underworld, there is turmoil and chaos, too. And the council of gods must do their part and act upon this. Two worlds. Same answer. Is the government right in both worlds? Not at all. Remember, nothing is perfect, either above ground or below. Showing these two councils (or at least the repercussions of them will help compare and contrast our two worlds).

Is a dystopian story with the world aboveground suffering so badly from the heat, brainstorm what else can be happening in the other world (in this case the Underworld). What other troubles does that world have? Is the rule threatened? Are the boundaries weakened? Is there a mutiny about to break out?

An important part of comparing out two worlds is to maintain a proper balance between them. Both worlds have plot and crises. Both worlds must be given equal page time. Spending too much time in either of the worlds can risk alienating the reader. But . . . for every scene switch, there must be a believable reason. Simply “wanting to visit” is not enough. Why would a character want to escape one world and go to another? What would draw them to do so?

Keep your yin and your yang in alignment.

So that wraps it up for world building and Solstice. Two worlds in turmoil. One girl who can make a difference.

Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope you’re inspired to build some worlds of your own! And thank you to the League of Extraordinary Writers for letting me hang out here for the week!

P.J. Hoover is March's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com.

Solstice

by PJ Hoover

More info

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

Creating the Underworld: Defy the Clichés

Hi, P. J. Hoover here, back for a third day! Thanks so much for reading! Yes, we’ve all heard scary stories about the Underworld. There are hellhounds running amok and nobody who goes in can ever come out again. And don’t you dare eat anything. The Underworld is a scary place. It’s full of dead people. It’s the worst place on Earth (or inside Earth? Or not on Earth? Where is it, anyway?). But are all these images nothing but clichés?

Solstice is set half in the outer world (namely Austin) and half in the Underworld. The main character, Piper, pays quite a few visits down below ground, and as such, I, as the author, must design this world.

When creating an image for the Underworld, a good place to start is with the technical aspects. There are five rivers in the Underworld: Styx, Cocytus, Acheron, Lethe, and Phlegethon. There are three places souls can go: the Elysian Fields, the Asphodel Meadows, and Tartarus. There is a ferryman, Charon, who takes people across the river. There is a three-headed dog, Cerberus, who guards the gates to the Underworld. And finally, there is a god who rules over the Underworld: Hades.

Great, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what, as the creator, can we do with this information? How do we create the lure of the dark side? Here’s my short answer: Defy the clichés!

For starters, there are five rivers. That is five opportunities to create vivid images of river locations that are distinct, memorable, and serve a purpose. In Solstice, each river stands on its own. And the best part? There are monsters in the rivers (my son’s idea. I think I credit him in the acknowledgments for this.).

The River Lethe was inspired by the Red River separating Texas and Oklahoma

Next, we can think about the lands. Sure, good souls go to the Elysian Fields, bad souls go to Tartarus, and those kinda in between souls head off to the Asphodel Meadows. And yes, each of these lands must be distinct. But in addition to these distinctions in appearance, how would the souls differ in the three lands? More specifically, how would Piper’s interactions with these souls differ? It totally has to be considered. But when considering, again defy those clichés.

In addition to the three lands, Hades has to live somewhere. I don’t imagine he has a permanent guest room in Tartarus. He is, after all, a king. He’s going to want to live the good life just a bit. Let’s give him a place to live, too. And it doesn’t have to be all dark and filled with fire. Why go with that cliché? Why not try something different.

When considering the world building of something like the Underworld, thinking through each detail and trying to diverge from the clichés is the first best step toward creating a world that will stand apart. Throw away the first idea that comes to mind. Throw away the second. And maybe go with the third.

Coming tomorrow . . . Putting it all together.

P.J. Hoover is March's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com.

Solstice

by PJ Hoover

More info

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

Creating the Future World: Nothing is Perfect

Hi! P. J. Hoover here, back for a second day, and next in our world building of the future, let’s start with catastrophe. In Solstice, there is no major cataclysm. Yellowstone doesn’t erupt or anything like that. It is just hot. So hot that the temperature rarely dips below one hundred. So hot, winter is not coming. So hot, they have a special name for it: the Global Heating Crisis (but we can call it GHC for short). It’s like Global Warming except amped up a bunch.

Solstice is set here in my town of Austin. I love this town, and Solstice was in part inspired by the over-the-top hot summers we have. A couple years ago we had one where it didn’t dip below one hundred for sixty days or something crazy like that. And forget about rain. Yeah, that’s much like the world of Solstice, except in Solstice it’s all summer all the time.

They even code the temperatures by color.

The GHC has been pretty rough on the world of Solstice. See, when the temperature gets hot, lots of living things tend to die. And when living things tend to die . . . well, food runs short. And when food runs short, people tend to fight about food. And fresh water has all but dried up. Sure, governments try to make changes for the better. But for the better is not always completely inclusive. Some people will still suffer. If there is a true utopia out there, I’d love to see it.

So first, when food is short, what does that mean? Well, it means that basics like fruits and vegetables are in short supply. Animals die which means meat is also limited. So our barbeque that we want so bad? Well, the price to eat it is pretty steep. Faux meat is all the rage. The government has to step in and try to ration food. It’s not a pretty scene because there are going to be people who don’t have enough food or water. It’s unfortunate, but it’s reality.

In addition to the food and water shortages, dealing with the heat itself is a whole other topic. Like, what can the government do to help people cope? In Solstice, there is a special gel that gets sprayed from misters. It totally helps with heat, but the unfortunate part is that one out of ten people is allergic too it. Because remember, everything cannot be perfect. There is no perfect solution.

In Solstice, peripherally, every country around the world is trying advanced techniques to deal with the heat. And the worst threat is the heat bubbles. They can materialize out of nowhere and descend upon the cities, killing thousands. Austin has come up with a great idea. It’s built a series of eight domes over the city which are retractable. They can be engaged when the heat gets too bad. The only problem? Not everyone lives under a dome. Nothing is perfect.

Who wouldn’t want to live under a dome?

On a final note of our future world building, it’s important to think about the exceptions. For example, most people are not going to drive. They’re going to take public transportation. But there are always going to be those exceptions who manage to circumvent the system. Ditto no open flames. Open flames are huge fire hazards in a dry climate. But there are going to be some places that get exceptions to this. Like the Catholic Church for example. People love to light their candles and pray for their intentions.

So in world building remember these two mantras. Nothing is perfect and there are always exceptions.

Coming tomorrow . . . Defy the Clichés.

P.J. Hoover is March's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com.

Solstice

by PJ Hoover

More info

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

Creating the Future World: Keep it the Same

Hi, P. J. Hoover here, and I’m thrilled to be spending the next few days with you guys talking about world building. Maybe the best thing for dreaming up the future is to look back to the past. Plenty of dystopian books these days are set in the future here on Earth, and many times this future is not too far away. Maybe fifty years. Maybe one hundred years. Maybe only thirty years.

Without mentioning specifically how old I am, let’s just say I spent my youth deep in the seventies and eighties. So we’re talking roughly thirty-five years have gone by since my memories really started to sink in. You know what I loved so much about back then? Those Now and Then lists that used to come out in the paper every New Year’s Day. So in the spirit of now and then, here is a brief one from me.

Okay, aside from having some fun and nostalgia, here’s what I’m trying to say. In thirty-five years, plenty of things have changed, and yet the basic needs are unchanged. Things are the same but different.

When I was building the world of Solstice, I tried to keep this in mind. Solstice is set in the future, at least eighteen years though I’m thinking it’s probably more like fifty or sixty. That’s quite a bit of time, but then again, it’s not. So what would be the same? And what would be different?

Maybe the most important thing to consider when writing for young adults is that no matter what the year, teens are going to want to communicate. Teens will be teens. I remember talking on the phone for hours on end with my friends back in the day. Now, texting and email make everything so much easier. And faster. For Solstice, insert the FON. Sure, the FON does a ton more than today’s standard smart phone. You know how with every new version, your phone can interface to so many more things? Well, that keeps happening. The FON is a Functional Operating Node. It has a similar sounding name that some marketing genius sometime in the future came up with. But in essence, it is the future’s smart phone and it is teens’ link to the world.

The next thing? You know that restaurant you always drive by. It’s been around since 1960? Yeah? Well, guess what. In the future, that restaurant or one very much like it will still be there. In Solstice, food shortages put a damper on everything. But we Texans don’t want much to get between us and our barbeque. And so Pok-e-Jo’s BBQ, an Austin favorite, is still around. I enjoyed sending my characters there to eat.

This kind of thinking can be carried over into everything. Religion is probably going to be about the same. Streets are going to be named the same (and their nicknames, like the Drag, will, too). People are still going to want inane entertainment (like TV and YouTube and video games). You can probably still download Ms. Pac-Man in some form or another.

In my experience, this is a key thing to keep in mind for world building: keep it the same . . . but different.

Coming tomorrow . . . No world is perfect.

P.J. Hoover is March's Affiliate Blogger. To find out more about our guest author positions here at the League, click here.

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com.

Solstice

by PJ Hoover

More info

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

Introducing...Affiliate Bloggers!

If you've looked at our schedule, you know that we've reserved the last week of the month for a special guest post topic--affiliate bloggers!

And affiliate blogger is an author or other member of the YA Lit community who we'll feature for a week. We've already got several affiliate bloggers lined up for this year, and are working behind the scenes to get you even more awesome.

This month's affiliate blogger is the fantastically amazing PJ Hoover! She's the author of the MG Emerald Tablet series, as well as the forthcoming YA SOLSTICE. She's posting all this week, so please welcome her to the League!

*The movie that triggered my love of post-apocalyptic stories

photo credit: cdrummbks via photopin cc

Once upon a time, the movie DAMNATION ALLEY hit theaters, and then my family's VCR, and was unlike anything I had seen. I was 9 or 10--- young enough that I didn't notice the post-apoc skies were edited in, but old enough to know that the unconvincing 8 feet long scorpions definitely were. Regardless, it opened my eyes (and, if you want to get sappy with it, my heart) to post-apoc fiction.

The Top 10 Reasons Why DAMNATION ALLEY Fascinated Me

1. There's just something about most of the population of the world being wiped out, and the massive job those who are left have to make something of the world.
2. The concept of starting with just a few people, and gathering others on the way across the country.
3. That something big enough to change the world doesn't just change the population or the landscape, it changes other things, too--- weather and insects and skies and what "normal" is.
4. Three words: Armor. Plated. Cockroaches.
5. Plus, it sort of made me want to ride a motorcycle through all the stories of a department store (at the same time as wonder why they didn't just go out the front doors that were right there).
6. Even when there's next to nothing left (or especially when there's nothing left), humans will still seek each other out.
7. I could not swear as a kid. Seriously, I could not. It was years before I could actually bring myself to tell people the name of this movie I loved. No joke.
8. When a world becomes post-apocalyptic, it becomes a strange dichotomy of primitive and modern.
9. One of the main characters was that guy from from The A-Team (and I always loved it when a plan came together).
10. When there aren't very many people in the world, it gives characters a huge chance to really step up. What each person does matters so much.

Do you have a love of post-apoc stories? If so, do you remember what triggered it for you?

Query Advice: Always be ready to move on!

With so many League members this month sharing the stories of how they got their agents, it got me thinking about how I got mine. It’s a fairly standard story—wrote novel, sent queries, got offers, chose one. Voila. But I think what makes it such a boring story on the surface is that underneath it all, behind the scenes, I was an absolute MADWOMAN of organization and preparation. I made tables and charts of everything possible, I studied dozens upon dozens of agent and author blogs, wherever query-writing was mentioned. Over the months before I queried I gathered so many tips and bits of advice, and I wanted to share one of the most crucial, in my opinion!

Lydia's Influences

What are my sci-fi influences?

It took me forever to answer this question. My answer is almost embarrassingly obvious.

I can list a bunch of movies that scratched my geeky heart and left a mark (Blade Runner, Alien, Star Wars...) and some children's and YA books that I adore (A Wrinkle in Time, The Hunger Games, The Giver, Ship Breaker, and a bunch of League authors' books, but I don't want to make them blush).

My book, CONTROL, is part medical thriller, part sci-fi adventure (and part romance, but I'll save that for another time). And it only just occurred to me, as I opened up Blogger to type this post, that I have a major influence I haven't thought of in many, many years.

Michael Crichton. 

(Okay, okay, so maybe his books are more techno-thriller with some medical aspects thrown in, than sci-fi!)

Way back in college and med school, I read a bunch of his books. First, The Andromeda Strain (absence seizures as a plot device! Nice!) and Jurassic Park (remember when he had frog DNA inserted into dino DNA, and that was why some dinos changed gender? I'd learned about that in my own lab research). I'd also read others of his, including Travels (he got his aura fluffed in that one. Still not sure what to make of that). I really should read Coma (by Robin Cook, but Crichton directed the movie). The idea is pretty creepy. When I was a kid, visions of that movie--with the strings holding up those bodies--gave me nightmares.

And of course, there was E.R., the show he created and produced. I used to watch that show like clockwork every Thursday night! That is, until I reached my clinical years in medical school, when my life became replete with real-life medical drama. Since then, I have never, ever watched another episode of E.R. or any medical-related drama on TV (sorry to all the Grey's Anatomy and House fans!).

I loved how Crichton mixed science and sometimes medicine in his stories. It captivated me as a student way back when. So without a doubt, I must tip my virtual hat to Dr. Crichton for paving the way for doctor/writers.

How about you? Ever read a Michael Crichton novel? Have a favorite one?

p.s. I know lots of League members are posting on their agent experience this month. I've previously posted on my Querying Journey, and it's eye-opening. Check it out here.

Finding the Right Agent

I'm borrowing this month's topic on how we found our agents because I'm not sure that I've ever blogged about it. On the surface, it isn't all that interesting because it was a fairly typical process, as by the book as you can get: I sent query letters to a bunch of agents, and eventually I got an offer. Of course, it sounds simple—perhaps even easy—when you describe it that way, but during the actual process it is simultaneously all-consuming, exhilarating, and devastating. You are thinking about it obsessively while trying not to think about it at all. As with most stages of publishing, it's a roller coaster ride with many emotional highs and lows; the key to making it to the end of the ride is staying on the coaster with your eyes wide open. Strap yourself in, don't look down, and hold on tight!

Recipe for the MILA 2.0 Book Launch!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I'm still a little dazed and confused from all the MILA 2.0 launch craziness last week and over the weekend, so I'm going to spare you most of my incoherent babble and just post a few highlights from my release party on Saturday. It was held at the San Marcos Public Library, which was totally awesome because a) it's five minutes from my house, b) most of my local friends were able to attend and c) the librarians are so awesome, they let us film the MILA 2.0 Harlem Shake!

So, here it is--the Recipe for the MILA 2.0 Book Launch!

First, procure some tasteful decorations (masterminded by my aunt, since I am somewhat decorationally-challenged). Make sure to obtain candy in the same color scheme as your book cover (BONUS:  Since MILA's cover is all blue and silver, I was spared the embarrassment of inhaling Red Vines like crack!)

Toss in a handful of giveaways (TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson, HOOKED by Liz Fichera, and THE CADET OF TILDOR by Alex Liddell, along with some amazing swag packs from assorted authors. Plus, the library donated two Barnes & Noble giftcards AND an iPod Shuffle, WOOT!)

Mix in author-ish babble about how long it takes to get published (for me, that was almost 5 books), perform a brief reading, and then answer audience questions (NOTE:  wearing shorts meant I didn't have to worry about inadvertently flashing anyone with my incessant fidgeting--SCORE!)

Sprinkle a dash of awesome friends who make theme shirts and masks just for your event!

Add one great bookstore (Mysterious Galaxy) to sell books while you sign and patrons snack:

Finally, the best part--blend it all together and make the MILA 2.0 HARLEM SHAKE:

A Slightly-Less-Awesome-Than-The-Book Vlog of MILA 2.0

I'm helping to celebrate this week's release of MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza by making a vlog highlighting some of the memorable moments in the book - don't worry, it's spoiler free!

It's also not quite as awesome as the book.

But I did my best.

MILA 2.0 launch week: Ten Reasons Why Androids are Cooler Than Me

Hey everyone!  If you've read any previous League of Extraordinary Writers posts this week, you're probably aware that MILA 2.0 debuted yesterday, and holy cow, what a crazy, surreal, awesome and terrifying feeling that is! To borrow an analogy from Lauren Oliver, I think it must feel a little like sending your child off to college. I raised MILA, fed her, groomed her, watched her blossom from a wee little outline into a full-grown story, and now I'm booting her out the door to fend on her own, hopeful that I've done all the necessary things to make her survive out in the world. Plus, the very best part?  I get to share her with all of you!

(Disclaimer: Lauren actually used that analogy to describe what it feels like to end a trilogy. I think it works here, too--but without the sadness, since I know I have another year left with my characters. Also, Lauren sounded way cooler when she said it.)

And that about taps out any serious thinking I can muster at the moment. Please forgive me, but after spending last week traveling through Utah, Washington, and Oregon on the amazing Dark Days Tour and then ending up in the mountains of Georgia for a writer's retreat, I am still recovering from a) severe lack of sleep, b) jet lag, and c) random bouts of Justin Bieber singing, and am just the tiniest bit deranged. Which is why I am now bringing you THIS in celebration of MILA 2.0's release:

Ten Reasons Why Androids are Cooler Than Me

1.  Androids don't forget to shave their legs during the chillier months in winter, then show up at school pick-up all "heyyy!" in their shorts on that unexpectedly sunny day, only to look down and realize that they are part Woolly Mammoth.

2. Androids don't have to shave, period.

3.  Androids can eat an entire box of Thin Mints in one day and not feel bloated. Not that, uh, I would ever do such a thing, but if I did, I would bet that I'd totally feel bloated. And a little nauseous.

4. Androids can wear their skirts as short as they want without worrying about some dude thinking that equals an invitation of sorts--because if he did, they would go all TARGET DOWN on his entitled butt, YO.

5. Androids can see in the dark, which would make for less awkward bruising and really cut back on that nightly electric bill.

6.  Androids could sweep into a puppy mill and rescue All The Dogs, and no one could do a darn thing to stop them. Then, they could eat all the mean people's heads. (Okay, maybe I made that last part up.)

7.  Androids could have their own personal playlists built into their brains to listen to whenever they wanted (a playlist which may or may not include Justin Bieber.)

8.  Androids do not catch the stomach flu cooties every year like clockwork, even when their tiny little plague-ridden android children bring the cooties home from android school.

9. Androids always remember where they put their keys, and do not ask "Where is my cell phone?" while actually talking on said cell phone. (D'OH!)

10. Androids can sing Justin Bieber songs without fear of repercussions.

Upgrade Your Reading with MILA 2.0

Imagine this scenario: You're sixteen, you've just moved to a small town after the death of your father, and your mother is a little too overprotective.  And then, just as you're beginning to connect with the cute new boy at school, you discover everything you thought you knew about yourself is a lie.

And thus begins MILA 2.0, a fast-paced science fiction thriller that not only delivers expertly choreographed action scenes but also has us questioning what it means to be human. See, Mila is part of a covert government experiment - think THE BOURNE IDENTITY for teens - and when she's forced to go on the run, she finds out just how different she is from other girls.

Wouldn't it be cool to know automatically how to disable an attacker? To have a built-in GPS so you'd never get lost? To have perfect night-vision?  Mila has all these features, and more. But she also has the roller-coaster emotions of a teenager, and she's afraid if she gives into the "machine" part of herself, she might lose something essential.  It's an intriguing internal conflict that drives the story, and I absolutely loved the way that this struggle played out in the course of the external plot.

MILA 2.0 is the start of a series, and the little hints of things to come dropped throughout the novel have me inhumanly excited for the next book.  So join us in congratulating Debra on today's release of her debut novel - and in the inhumanly long wait to find out what happens next ...

Also, check out yesterday's post for more information about the book and a giveaway of a signed copy of MILA 2.0!

Celebrate Debra's Launch of MILA 2.0!

Today we're celebrating the launch of one of our new League member's books: Debra Driza's MILA 2.0!

Debra is an awesome lady--funny and fun, with a career that's shooting off. And MILA 2.0 is a fantastic debut. I'm so glad people are getting the chance to read this epic novel!

MILA 2.0 is an epic science fiction in which a teenage girl, Mila, discovers she's far different from other girls. It's action-packed and a whirlwind of a ride. Of course, one thing I like about books is when they are both entertaining and have a philosophical undertone. And MILA 2.0 does just that--it makes the reader question what it means to be human, but also what it means to be a part of a family, where love comes from, and more.

Find out more about MILA 2.0 here!

Can we take a moment to talk about this cover? Because guys. Guys. This cover is perfect. I think it brilliantly illustrates the novel. The book is very much about looking underneath the skin of someone and examining what makes them a person. In addition to that, Mila also breaks apart both physically and emotionally--all of which is portrayed in the cover. 

And, not only do you get to read MILA 2.0 tomorrow, you can start the adventure today by reading Debra's exclusive origin prequel, available as an e-book--for FREE! This prequel story explores the world of MILA 2.0, and give insight to events that happened before the store. 

Find out more about MILA 2.0, ORIGINS: THE FIRE here!

And if you haven't, you must check out the MILA 2.0 trailer. I love that they bring to life an actual scene from the book, as well as include some of the deeper themes of the novel.



Here on the League, we're giving away a signed copy of MILA 2.0 to celebrate it's launch! The book officially comes out tomorrow, but you can enter to win today and every day this week.

Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a signed copy of MILA 2.0!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hundreds of Queries Later...

Okay, so it's been a great theme week here at The League. We've been sharing stories of how we got our agents. I'm up today, and while I think my story is pretty fantastic, it was not-so-fantastic as I was living through it.

That said, I hope it'll inspire just one person to take the next step in their creative endeavor, whatever that may be. Writing, photography, painting, dance, etc.

So let's do a little flashback in time.

2007: Elana begins writing. Everything is awesome! Every word well-chosen and perfectly placed.

2008: Elana queries her first novel. Everything is not awesome. Every word is wrong, and every sentence awkwardly constructed.

I learned in 2008 that the first book I queried was not good enough. I sent nearly 150 query letters, and everyone told me no, either on the query or on the submission.

While I did not find a literary agent with this book, I did discover how to write a query letter. I even went so far as to put together a guide on how to write a query letter. It's free, and you can download it here (scroll down to the bottom to find the link).

I learned that I love writing query letters, and I still write them to this day, either for myself or for others (go to my blog to see what I mean!).

During the rejection-hell-of-2008, I wrote Possession. I was querying The Other Novel, though, so I set it aside. In November, 2008, when I realized The Other Novel wasn't going to be The One, I quit querying it, and I looked at what I'd written to decide what I should polish up and send out next.

Quitting wasn't an option.

2009: I polish up my next novel in preparation to query it. I begin sending letters in April. I get a lot of good feedback. Partials are being upgraded to fulls. Fulls are requested from the query letter--which sometimes was only 2 sentences long.

Oh yeah, I was feeling good. I felt like Possession was The One.

Yet months passed. I queried. I sent submissions. Yes, I got rejections. A lot of rejections.

In June, I queried my agent, Michelle Andelman. She asked for the full, and two weeks later she asked for anything else I'd written. It was a good sign--but it was summer.

Things moved slowly. I revised for another agent. I talked to two other agents on the phone.

No offers of representation.

In September, after a summer that felt eternal and like nothing was happening, I get brave. Actually, what I did was "Go George" according to that Seinfeld episode where George Constanza does everything the exact opposite of what he's always done.

I emailed Michelle and basically said, "I know you like Possession. I can revise it if you want. Can we talk about it on the phone?"

And she said yes, and a call was set up!

She still didn't offer, but gave me some suggestions for revisions and we set a deadline in October when I would get them back to her.

So I did the revisions without the promise of an offer, and I turned them in on time. Two weeks later, on Veterans Day in 2009, the real call came. I had representation!

Finally.

I queried Possession for 8 months. I sent 189 query letters, and 54 submissions (either partials or fulls). I only got one offer of representation, but it only takes one. 

We went on to sell Possession in a short time, and every time I email or talk with Michelle, I'm reminded how she's the perfect agent for me and my work.

So there you have it! Between my two books, I queried for a combined total of 16 months and sent hundreds of query letters. That's how I got my agent.

Are you currently in the midst of something hard? Don't give up! The Thing You Need could be just around the corner.

How I got my agent (and a few tips)

Lee Child once said, “Getting an agent is procedural.” What he meant was there was no mystery to it, no magic. It’s just a process, you follow the steps. And he’s absolutely right about that.

Of course, the assumption is that you have a darn good manuscript suitable for today’s market. I realize the problem with most writers at this stage is that they’re not sure how good it is, but hopefully you’ve gotten honest feedback from your writing group.

The thing to remember about getting an agent, like others have said, is that it’s a lot like getting married. A bad agent is worse than no agent at all.

So how did I do it? Once my manuscript had gotten the approval of my very discerning writing group, I started by subscribing to Publisher’s Marketplace. I used their powerful research function to find agents that carried YA authors I’d admired. I didn’t stop there. I googled the list of agents I’d created and read every interview they’d given and any news articles written about them. I probably spent a month doing this.

I narrowed my list to a few choice agents when I remembered one agent I had been introduced to in a social setting a couple of years prior. We didn’t talk business at the time, but I recalled liking her personality. But I thought she didn’t handle YA, only adult fiction. Then I stumbled on a list of top YA agents while doing my research, and there was her name. I knew many of her clients, but didn’t want to ask them for a recommendation. Not because I was shy but because I knew that it’s much more important to learn if the agent is attracted to the manuscript on its own merits.

All the agents responded quickly and soon spoke to me on the phone. Then it was a matter of seeing what they envisioned for the manuscript in terms of rewrites as well as the selling plan. I was also looking for what kind of chemistry existed between us, as I’m sure they were with me. This is the stage to ask your questions and I did. In the end, they were all great, highly professional, top agents. But I went with the one that I had met. She had said that it would end up being a gut decision and yes, it was.

Which is ultimately how you decide who to marry, right?

How I found my agent

Most people get their agent, go on submission, and then sell their book. Nope, not me. I’m not good at doing things the “conventional” way. I sold the book first—which I thought would make finding an agent a cinch. Not so much, but more on that later.

First, the book deal. I sold Memento Nora after submitting to several editors who were on a panel at the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic conference in Arlington. (Best $100+ I ever spent.) I got nibbles from two of the editors, but after a revision I sold the book to Marshall Cavendish. Then I scrambled to find an agent.

And like I said, I thought having a book deal in hand would make finding the agent easy or at least easier. I started querying agents, including one who’d been at the same conference, and they’ll all passed or didn’t even reply. (All equals about six or seven.)

Discouraged, I turned to the SCBWI bulletin board with hopes of finding out if this was unusual. Instead, I found a couple of agents who were specifically looking for SCBWI members. So I queried them, and Tina Wexler (ICM) thankfully requested a full manuscript and agreed to get back to me over the weekend.

Meanwhile, I met another agent through a work connection, and she also requested a full manuscript and agreed to get back to me over the same weekend.

So I was prepared not to hear from either of them until that Monday. However, Friday night, Tina emailed that she’d devoured Memento Nora at her desk that day and had to sneak into the bathroom at another author’s book launch to let me know. Come Monday, the other agent also offered representation, but I really had to go with Tina’s enthusiasm. I knew she was the one who really believed in my work—and that’s crucial to have on your side.

How I Found My Agent

At the end of April 2011 WriteOnCon hosted a live query event.  I knew I wanted to participate, but I didn't have a good query yet. I sat down with my husband and read him all the queries I had written.  And he was...nonplussed.  So he took my computer and started fiddling around; an hour later he handed me back a very experimental query.  It wasn't quite there, but there was something about it that actually sounded like the voice of my novel.  I spent another couple hours with it and then posted it to the website, hoping it wasn't too different from traditional query form.

But it wouldn't let me add it to the thread.  I tried several times and I kept getting a message that it would have to be approved by a mod.  I texted my critique partner: Did you have to wait for your query to post?  She replied that she hadn't.  I waited a couple hours the next morning to see if it would show up, but it didn't and more and more queries were grabbing the last few spots.  I finally broke down and messaged a mod.  She found it in the spam filter and, lucky for me, posted it in the spot it would have if I hadn't waited for approval.

I spent the weekend nervous, but excited for feedback.  I was more scared she wouldn't get to my query than of hearing what she had to say.  The Monday night of the event, I wanted to puke.  I knew it was time to start querying, but I was dragging my feet.  

Long story short: she liked it.  She asked for more, and I gleefully sent it off.  The next morning there was a request for the full manuscript in my inbox.  I cried (I did that a lot back then.  Now I'm more emotionally numb), and feeling encouraged and because my critique partners strong-armed me, I sent off more queries.  The next two responses asked for fulls, too.  I was beginning to feel like I was dreaming.  Then a form rejection put me back in my place.

On Sunday of that week, I got my first email requesting a call.  I cried (yes again).  My husband said I was scary (note to significant others: not the thing to say).  The next morning I woke up excited, scared, asking if agents ever called to tell you that you suck.  Before the call, I got two more full manuscript requests.  I was beginning to feel overwhelmed in a wonderful way.

I spoke with the agent, and she loved the book.  She offered rep and I told her I had other fulls out, she advised me to send email nudges to everyone, including the ones I hadn't heard from, since it had been less than a week.  I did and by that night I was up to ten full requests.

Then I got another call from an agent who read the sample pages and wanted to chat to see how serious I was and ask me to send the full.  Three hours later, she asked for a phone call the next morning.  Then another agent asked for one in the afternoon.  I felt anxious and happy and overwhelmed and hopeful and uncertain all at the same time.  Both agents offered.  That night an agent called at 8:45 to talk and offer rep.  I was up to four offers!

The second agent, Mollie Glick, then asked to fly out to meet me.

At the time I was a stay-at-home mom in the midwest.  These things didn't happen to me, but the next day I went on my first business lunch with Mollie.  I got us lost like ten freaking times, because I rarely went into the city back then (Mollie was good under pressure).  And I'm sure she was super-jealous of my awesome gold mini-van, but it was very cool and showed me just how serious she was about the book.  Also I got to eat crab cakes.

By that evening, three more agents asked to speak on the phone.  That Thursday, I spent over five hours on the phone.  My poor husband dragged my kids all over town.

In the end I had seven offers of representation, and all because I attended a WriteOnCon query event.  That's how those fabulous authors from WOC changed my life in less than a week.  I can't stress enough to get out there and take chances!  Yes, it's scary and stomach-turning, but it could change your life!  Having an agent see my query there put me on their radar in a way the slush pile could not.  I will be eternally grateful to the WOC girls.

I struggled with my decision.  I really loved all the agents I spoke with, but I sensed Mollie provided a certain business acumen I lacked (I'd much rather be writing pretend conversations).  If you are ever in that situation, my best advice is to take the time you need to make the decision, ask to speak with some of the agent's clients, and try to listen to your gut.

Now people have told me this is a bit of a Cinderella story, and I certainly felt like I was living in a fairytale while it was happening.  But while that story is fun to share, because it could happen to you, it doesn't tell you about the months leading up to that magical week.  While my querying experience was short and sweet, there was lots of planning that went into it.  Here are some of the things I did to prepare myself for querying.  I hope they help.

1.  I joined Querytracker.net.  (If you can swing it, get the premium membership.  Worth it!) I spent about four months researching agents, building a tiered list of who to query, and making notes on the individual agents' pages.  

2.  I became an active member of the QT forums.  Reading and offering feedback on other queries made it much easier to start writing my own.  It also prepared me for what to expect and gave me a supportive community to lean on when I was struggling with writing.  They were the first people to give me a thumbs up on the query that snagged my agent.

3.  I participated in pitch contests.  I did every blog/twitter pitch contest I could find.  I never even made it to the final round of any of them, but it helped me perfect my blurb line.

4.  I researched agents during the day when I couldn't focus enough to work on the novel.  I had two very small kids at home (3 years-old and less than 1 year-old at the time), and my out of the house writing time had to be that: writing time.

5.  I read Queryshark religiously.  Actually it was my friend Josin McQuein's query for Premeditated on Queryshark that gave me the guts to use a more experimental query for Crewel.

6.  I treated it like my job.  I was organized and methodical about it (probably more organized than I've ever been.)

So if you're joining the trenches, I salute you and leave you with some of the best advice I ever got from pinterest:
from pinterest:

Source: fab.com viaGenn on Pinterest