NaNoWriMo Check-In

I just got back from the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Conference in Phoenix, where I got to meet Daniel Jose Older and Alexandra Bracken. We had a great panel and I got to sign in both the Harper Collins and Follett booths, which was a good time. Although once again I ended having to explain that I might be funny and charming, but my books are not funny. Or charming.

Really my entire persona is misleading.

So how did I do on Nano while traveling and putting together these week's podcast episode? Not bad at all. I've written 19k words already this month, putting me slightly ahead of schedule and also pushing HEROINE into the home stretch. Nano helped me finish GIVEN TO THE EARTH last year, and it's going to top off HEROINE for me this year - thank you, Nano!

If you're doing the Nano thing and want to take about a 40 minute break to hear from another author and how they have managed their career, listen to the newest Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire podcast episode, featuring author Tori Rigby.

Do You NaNo? A New Podcast Episode & Books By The Banks 2017!

What is NaNoWriMo? It's a worldwide effort to get writers in front of laptops, typewriters, or just plain notebook paper, and write 50k words in a month. That might be a whole novel for you, it might not. You can start a book, finish one, or just crack out a lot of shorts over the course of the month. The daily word count goal is 1,667 words - totally doable.

I'll be NaNo-ing this year, looking to finish one project and perhaps start another!

And don't miss the newest Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire podcast episode, with guest Kate Watson. We talk about a variety of things, from how to market a quieter book, to the many different ways a person can be strong... and of course, we talk NaNo.

I spent the weekend at Books by the Banks in Cincinnati -- and of course I had to Storify that.

New Podcast Episode, Packing For LA & Mindy Tries Yoga

It's release week for THIS DARKNESS MINE, something that always seems to creep up on me. Kind of like Christmas. I'm super involved in drafting right now, as well as keeping the blog updated daily and producing a podcast episode once a week. One could argue that I overwork myself.

With that in mind I tried yoga for the first time yesterday. My kickboxing instructor has gone to get a Masters degree (yes, really), my personal schedule has kept me away from circuit training for the past two weeks, and a friend recently started teaching yoga. So I thought, okay, let's do this.

And I did it. I'm past the point in my life where I care about my butt sticking up in the air, but I have not, apparently, matured to the point where I don't find it amusing when someone accidentally farts. No, it wasn't me. If it had been me I would've gone ahead and laughed really loud and made sure everyone knew it happened. But it wasn't me, and no one claimed it, so I had to try really, really hard to not laugh or smile or otherwise shake with mirth while in the downward dog. It's hard. Try it.

Tomorrow morning I leave for LA and the Epic Reads tour that I'll be doing along with some amazing fellow authors, including Kendare Blake and Lauren Oliver. I've never been California, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm even looking forward to the super long flight because I'm on deadline and drafting a super-secret project that hasn't been announced yet.

Keep up with me on Twitter to follow along with the California shenanigans, and check out the newest episode of the Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire podcast below, with guest Elsie Chapman. We talk about the different pressures of writing for yourself versus writing under contract, what should and should not be expected of a writer for marketing, and the ever-present issue of trends.