Follower Giveaway!!!

Okay, so I was supposed to have a post prepared for today, however the weekend kind of got away from me. This works out well for you, lovely followers, because it means I'm going to act like I'm on top of things and do a giveaway.

I recently came into possession of a duplicate ARC of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (4/24) and I also received a finished copy of Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (5/1) which is #12 in the Morganville Vampire Series.

So, since I already have a copy of Masque of the Red Death and I've never read the other Morganville Vampire books, I am giving one lucky winner the chance to choose between the two.

All I ask is that since I received these books free of charge from the publishers, you review it. I don't care where. It can be on your blog, amazon, B&N, goodreads. Just post something somewhere. That's it. No hoops to jump through. Just be a follower and fill out the rafflecopter below. If you want to tweet about the giveaway, you will receive extra entries.

- Lots of Love, Melanie

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Time for a Vacation...

Everyone needs a break once in a while, right?

Right now, I'm getting mine. As you read this, I'm probably on the road - somewhere between Atlanta and Orlando. Yes, my family is embarking on The Great Road Trip of 2012!

We're off to Orlando (where the extended forecast tells me it's supposed to rain while we're there - grumph). Not to see the Mouse, but to see Harry Potter! My kids are almost 10 and almost 6 (their birthdays are mid-month) and both are dying to see Hogwarts. Me too!!!

Megg, 1979

The last time I was at Disney World, I was four. That was (let me get out my calculator - hang on a sec...) 32 years ago. I remember very little. There's bits and pieces of It's a Small World (which my mom says was the only time I stopped talking during the trip) and a teeny bit of the parade. I don't remember the parade specifically. I remember dancing in the street before it started. I guess I was cute because people were clapping for me. All I recall is the massive sunburn I had and that I was hot...and impatient, which is why I was dancing. I'm not very good at sitting still.

I know, you're reading this and you're wondering... What does this have to do with books or publishing or reading? Um, yeah, sorry, it doesn't have anything to do with any of those.

I'm on vacation so I wanted to give you one too. No deep thoughts. Just a reminder that sometimes it doesn't hurt to take a break from real life. All of us need a vacation, whether it's an afternoon off of work, holing up at the ice cream shoppe, or a weekend in Vegas. Break out of the routine once in a while. It's good for ya!

Okay, I have to prep now for wand selection at Ollivander's. When I was sorted on Pottermore, I ended up in Slytherin. I'm a little afraid of which wand will choose me... ;)

-Megg

I HAVE A DREAM

I’m not a leader. I’m not a follower.

I am an artist. I am a dreamer.

I dream of writing and sharing great stories. I dream of meeting amazing and supportive readers. I dream of interacting with and supporting my fellow authors.

I don’t care which path leads to me my dream. For me, it’s about the journey and the destination, not the vehicle in which I travel.

I personally know many “big” traditionally published authors, small press authors, self-published authors, and writers-who-will-one-day-be-published-somehow. I do not classify them by their path, or their vehicle. I learn their names and respect them for pursuing their dream.

Sometimes I read and watch quietly from the sidelines, as some (not all) authors, agents, editors, readers, reviewers and others in this storytelling business, argue or defend or scheme or belittle or throw stones, and I think, “Why?”

For the love of books, why can’t we all just get along?

I’ve heard some ambitious people talk about how they want to knock down the walls that separate traditional and indie authors and publishers. I understand the concept, but I don’t want to knock down anything—or anyone.

Instead, I want to throw a grand and beautiful garden party. Fantastic music and twinkle lights will lure everyone out from behind their walls to gather together under the same big sky. Competition and negativity will melt away as people smell the flowers and breathe in fresh air, meet and mingle, dance like no one is watching, and eat dessert first.

Name tags are optional, labels aren’t allowed, and no one cares how you were published, how big your deal was, your number of sales, how many followers you have, or the number of comments you receive. The simple fact that you are an artist, and a dreamer, and an eternal work-in-progress means that you are welcome and—as if there was ever any doubt—you are a VIP.

One of America’s greatest leaders, Martin Luther King Jr, was also a dreamer. I’m going to borrow the groundwork of his most famous speech, but adapt it to fit my dream for the world of storytelling.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the current stereotypes and upheaval of the publishing world, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this world will rise up and understand the true meaning of writer: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all authors are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the drama-filled pages of the internet, the sons and daughters of former slaves to the Big-Six-Is-All-That-Matters way of thinking will be able to sit down together at a table of readerhood.

I have a dream that one day even indie and self-published books, which currently exist in a world of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into a reader's paradise of justice and originality.

I have a dream that my fellow authors, no matter how they are published, will one day live in a world where they will not be judged by the name and size of their publisher, but by the content and quality of their stories.

I have a dream today.

Tell me, dreamers, what’s your dream?

Karen Hooper writes young adult paranormal and fantasy, and is the author of TANGLED TIDES and GRASPING AT ETERNITY. She is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. Some of her addictions include coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters.

You can find her at www.KarenAmandaHooper.com or on Twitter at @Karen_Hooper.

E-reading in our Schools?

Nook

E-reading Rocks!

I was talking to a fan at a book signing on Friday, and she mentioned that she bought her 13 year old a Kindle two Christmases ago and was frustrated that her teachers at the Jr. high wouldn't allow her to use it in class. This included her daughter's English teachers. This was interesting to me because I am a teacher.

Once I got the idea for my book, I quit full time teaching and started subbing for friends. As I would run around subbing, I almost always took a poll in the classes I taught and asked how many students had e-readers of some sort and how many used them. I was more than curious.

Kindle

Last year, I found that in Jr. highs in my area, Davis County, Utah, about 1/4 of students had the capability to read an e-book on a portable device. Only 1/20 of those students ever brought them to school to use because teachers wouldn't allow them.

In the high schools, I discovered 1/3 of students had the capability, and 1/10 used them in schools. Some English teachers allowed them and others did not.


This year, I found 1/2 of Jr. high kids had them and about 1/15 used them in schools. Kids say teachers are getting used to the idea if they aren't "old". No reading on your phone, though.

Kobo

In high schools, 3/4 of students have the capability and yet, only 1/10 use them in school. They say they just haven't ever downloaded a book, and teachers outside of English classes don't allow them to use them during free time. So, they might as well have a print book. A lot of these students use iPhones, and teachers don't trust their students. Big surprise. Dedicated e-readers can be used, but no phones.

iPhone

I can sympathize with these teachers, but at the same time, the world is changing. It's time to step up and embrace the contemporary look of books. The new Jr. high in our district is totally paper-free. The students are issued laptops, and all their books and course materials are online. I haven't been out to see the library. Can you imagine the library being an e-library? Wouldn't that change things?

I think it's important that we step up as parents, students, and communities to help school administrators adopt e-book friendly policies. If we don't, "old" teachers will remain in the 18th century and kids won't be able to take advantage of the technology available to them.

I have a Nook and love it. Does that mean I have to stop loving print books? No way! My shelves are stocked and I will continue to buy print books, but boy do I enjoy the ease of use of my Nook.

After we've reformed school policy, lets lobby the airlines to allow us to use our e-readers during taxi and take-off-that would be some great reform

I'll keep dreaming.

Have you jumped into the e-reading craze? Do you have a dedicated e-reader of do you use your phone or tablet? Do you think kids should be allowed to use their e-readers and phones at school to read? Inquiring minds want to know.

What Message Are We Sending?

Angela's post last Wednesday inspired me. Made me think about the messages we send out to the world, particularly to young adults.

**Image borrowed from Deviantart**

I think about the messages I got growing up and how they shaped me.  As a girl, the primary one was this:

You're just as good as a boy and you can be anything you want to be.

Right on!  Well, almost.  We're so focused on what we want to be when we grow up, and the greatness we will attain.  We head off to college, earn our degrees, start careers that put us on the path to manager, partner, business owner. And then what?

We've proved we're just as good as the boys, but for many of us, there's a pesky thing called a biological clock. And being a stay at home mom now sort of feels like quitting.  The boys don't quit work just because they became dads.  But how do we balance being that mom who sends in homemade cupcakes and the executive who answers client e-mails at 10 pm?  How do we continue with our creative outlets so we don't lose our souls in the process of becoming just as great as our male co-workers?

I'm not sure there is a right answer. Everyone's paths will be different naturally.  But what I do know is that through time, subtle messages get pounded into our heads until we've set unattainable standards for ourselves.  Yes, girls, you CAN do or be anything. But you can't be it all at the same time.  That's the part of the message that gets left out.  You can make partner in your law firm, but that means you can't work part time and attend all your kid's school plays.  You can be an awesome writer/artist/musician in your spare time, but you won't be the world's best spouse if that's where you're channeling your passion.

As authors, we love writing these "kick butt" heroines who save the world and get the boy.  After all, it makes for a good and entertaining story.  But what happens to their school work while they're off battling demons?  What about their family relationships?  Are they simply not as important?  Not to our story lines perhaps, but I wonder if we aren't perpetuating the myth that our girls can be everything all at once when we downplay the crucial elements of our everyday lives.

Maybe not.  I'm no psychology major and I, as a writer, haven't ever given the subtle messages I'm sending that much thought.  But maybe I should. As a victim of society's subtle pressures myself, maybe I ought to be more cautious about what I put out into the world.  And just like everything else, find a balance between good story telling and good living.

What do you think??

The Art of Novel Ninjutsu

It's true. I'm a little ninja-obsessed. But not because I think killing people in their sleep is awesome. Or that I'd look good in black pajamas and toe-socks. It's writing ninjas that I think are cool.

See, writing ninjas train until our writing muscles are wearing and we just can't take any more.

And then we train some more.

We kill our darlings. Slit the throat of our beautiful prose.

We slash pages and pages of worthless stuff.

 

A writing ninja knows the importance of focus, imagination and feeling. She regularly seeks the opportunity to meditate on her story. 

The writing ninja can write anytime, anywhere. He knows the best time to get the job done is right now.

A writing ninja expects to work. Expects to be awesome. She expects it--and so it is true.

A writing ninja is successful not only because she is fearless and fierce, but also because she doesn't do what's always been done.

A writing ninja shows respect for those who have come before him and he helps those who are following behind.

The writing ninja knows he can always improve; that there is no end to learning. 

Wait. Didn't say this was the art of NOVEL ninjutsu? Sure, I didn't tell you how to write a novel. But I promise you, if you practice the way of the writing ninja, you will write THE END on the most amazing novel you can write. 

Because that's what writing ninjas do--they write, and they conquer.