Questions/Answers/Speculation

Last day of the first month of 2010! Can you believe it?!

The turning of each month this year leaves me a bit breathless since it means I'm an inch closer to NIGHTSHADE's release date. Woo-hoo!

With February's arrival, it means that our last hard winter month has come up to bat. March may be temperamental, but it still opens the door to spring. The new month also means it's time for another round of Monday Q & A.

I've garnered quite a few new followers since the last Q & A, welcome aboard :), so please don't be shy in lobbing your questions my way.

Here's the way it works. Please leave your questions in the comments section of this post and tomorrow I'll answer them. I will also update the Monday post with questions left in comments both here and there as they come in.

Looking forward to your questions!!

Here's one of my own for which I have no answer: Why does Fox kill all its best shows?

So long Dollhouse *sobs*

Good Omen

You know you're working with the right folks when they send you links like this. (Thanks awesome agent Lyndsey.) Lyndsey, the InkWell foreign rights agent tipped me off to the lunar news and also gave me some secret super news, which I'll share when I can.

I've been a moon follower for a long, long time. Considering how frigid and clear the sky is in Minnesota today, we'll be basking in luminescence tonight. Wherever you are tonight, may the first and brightest full moon of the year rain blessings on you and yours.

And when it does, be sure to howl your joy to the heavens. It is the Wolf Moon, after all.

Bon Voyage (Conference Thoughts)

Many of my writer-type friends are packing their bags and making a pilgrimage to NYC this weekend. Why? It's the annual Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference!

Sadly, I'm not attending since I was just in New York, but I am envious of the people that will be there and especially of the Tenners who get to meet up at the conference.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my two cents on writers' conferences. I'm an SCBWI member, but I haven't yet attended one of their meetings (LA 2010, baby!).

When writers are starting out on the road to finding an agent, publisher, building a career it can be overwhelming. The climb to the top is less daunting if you have helpers to show you the best route. The internet is an invaluable resource (if used responsibly), but reading web page after web page just isn't the same as chatting with a flesh and blood fellow writer who understands the passion and pain involved in this process.
Conferences are a great place to meet other writers, agents, and editors. I'd vehemently argue that the first of that group are the most important at conferences. Many conferences have agent and/or editor pitch sessions. It is these sessions, and the dream of possibly landing an agent or editor at a conference, that lures many writers in.

That's more than understandable, and it's a big part of why I attended my first conference (San Francisco Writers) last year.

What I learned, however, is that while the pitch session was a great experience (and did get me a partial manuscript request) - the most valuable parts of the conference were these:

1) Great sessions on revision. I learned so much about moving the draft of a manuscript from good to exceptional. The panels by authors/editors/agents on what makes a great manuscript really had an impact on my writing.

2) Meeting other writers. My amazing crit partner Lisa (Three-Book Deal) Desrochers and I met at SF Writers, and that relationship is definitely the best thing that happened in the three-day weekend. Finding the right crit group is such an important step in the writing life.

My take-away:

Conferences are worth your while because they will A) make you a better writer B)tap you into a network of writer friends that will help you with A.

Do not attend conferences only for the sake of pitching agents because you'll be too nervous to really absorb the other great things that are happening in the sessions. Pitches are great practice at condensing your work into its essential hook (i.e. they can help you query better), but don't head to a conference thinking you're guaranteed to land an agent/editor if you do so.
Caveat: I do consider myself indebted to SF in gaining an agent, but again it's because of reason A. Agent Charlie pulled my query out of the slush pile and requested a full ms. That full ms I'd just revised after I'd learned so much at the conference, and my book was much, much better because of the revisions I'd made.

So to everyone in NYC this weekend, have a great time and I'll be thinking of you! Hope to be at another conference with you soon!

Dear Buffy

I've been putting this off, but we need to talk. (Could you put the crossbow down...please?)

You know I love you. No one can take your place. The Scoobies will be first in my heart, forever.

But lately I've been seeing someone else.

At first I didn't think it was serious. I couldn't help but notice the way they bandied about clever dialogue, twisted fright and funny into a glorious knot, and peppered plots with pop culture references, drawing me in. There were so many similarities to the greatness that is your show, Buffy, and now I have to confess. I'm falling hard for Sam and Dean.
Buffy, if you met the Winchester brothers I think you'd understand. And you certainly would appreciate all the hotness going on there.
You will always be The One, Buffy - the show I know backwards and forwards, that I have each episode all but memorized - but I hope you'll forgive me for making room in my heart for Supernatural.

I wanted to be honest and avoid another Veronica Mars fiasco like before.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Yours always,

Andrea

Hibernation is a Better Option

Our brief January thaw (read 30s and streets full of dirt-flavored slushees) departed, leaving us to stare down a slow-moving, mega-cold front which will gift us with a high of 9 degrees on Wednesday.

The anticipation is horrid. Unlike in that movie, The Day After Tomorrow, cold doesn't roar and chase you.



You can't run away. Nope - that real, terrible chill that makes your lungs ache with each breath moves at a slow, yet unrelenting pace. It creeps up, its weight creaking on each step like the killer heading for your bedroom in a horror flick. But there's nothing you can do - the only exit (a plane to Hawaii) is downstairs (not an option unless I want to get fired).

The only viable reaction: burrow under your covers, squeeze your eyes shut, and hope it goes away. Knowing it's coming, that something monstrous is about to slide through your door, casting a long, ominous shadow, sealing your doom.

I hate this part of the winter. So. Much. (Though I think I'd cope if I could hide out in the New York Public Library with Jake Gyllenhal.)

Wilderness Survival Tips

The Wild. It's big, it's beautiful, it's scary, it's exciting - and NIGHTSHADE is out in it.

Penguin thrilled me by printing special edition ARCs for the ALA Midwinter meeting and giving them out to conference attendees. I'm just starting to receive tweets and notes from the lovely people who got a copy and are reading it, which is so freakin' amazing I think my head might explode. Thanks so much to those of you who've written to tell me how much you love NIGHTSHADE!!!

Since the book is in the Wild, I think it would be wise to establish my author's guide to wilderness safety (a.k.a blog rules now that NIGHTSHADE is circulating).

ANDREA'S WILDERNESS SAFETY GUIDE (New Blog Regulations)

Be prepared. [To bite your tongue - NO SPOILERS]

NIGHTSHADE is full of twists, turns, shocks, and head-spinners. Please don't ruin the experience for anyone else by posting questions or comments that reveal the plot. Any spoilery comments will be eaten [deleted].

Respect wildlife. [Be nice to other books]

As NIGHTSHADE peeks out of its den and makes its first forays into the deep, dark woods there are many other critters on the same journey. Writing books is a labor of love (and pain) and taste varies widely. When commenting, it's fine to say "NIGHTSHADE reminded me of, or it creates excitement like," but please don't trash other authors or books by way of trying to give me a compliment. That only makes all the woodland critters sad.

Don't feed the animals. [Be nice to each other]

Along those same lines, please keep comments respectful. Good books should engender strong reactions. That's great! But please respect your fellow writers, readers, and the blogging community by playing nice at all times. Which means:

NO

YES

If you wander off the trail, call the Ranger outpost. [Ask the author!]

Although I will patrol the blog for spoilers, I'm always happy to answer plot/character/world questions via email. So if you do want to discuss/ask/learn more about NIGHTSHADE and think you can't ask here, please send a message to andreacremerwrites (at) gmail (dot) com

Most importantly, enjoy the spectacular (I hope) sights and sounds!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this was a small, special run of ARCs. Official ARCs will be printed this spring, and at that time I host contests/giveaways - I can't wait!

My Awesome Editor Jill (aka Carrie)

Did a great interview on the Throwing Up Words blog. Thanks for the NIGHTSHADE shout out Jill!